Into the Void (Legend of the Five Rings)

Third Person or Second Person

  • Second Person

    Votes: 26 34.7%
  • Third Person

    Votes: 49 65.3%

  • Total voters
    75
[X] Lord Shingen
[X] Look for a maple tree and meditate to see what insights may be gleamed

Hopefully we can get our brick upgraded
 
[X] Lord Shingen
[X] Look for a maple tree and meditate to see what insights may be gleamed

When did we lose a fight?
:???:
Wasn't it when we tweaked that blind lunatic Miramoto Hikaru about "seeing how the wind was not blowing" and he nearly bashed our nose in? Or maybe the spar against the monk, Kaga, which got us IR2.
 
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2.18 Cities End
[X] Lord Shingen

[X] Look for a maple tree and meditate to see what insights may be gleamed

The gurgle of a soft stream and the soft moss beneath his feet reminded Hideo of home. Far away on a mountaintop the young samurai's thoughts drifted towards his small room, now likely taken by another. Nostalgia filled his nose and pricked his eyes for a moment. There was no need for tears here, Hideo repeated that mantra.

Finding a maple tree had been easy enough once he asked around, and the landlord of the garden had no complaints about letting a mendicant monk sit and meditate. Green moss covered carefully hewn stones outlining the path through the shrubs and trees. The garden was a work of art. Carefully curated but not obviously so.

He had seated himself across from a towering specimen of the maple variety in order to peer into any deeper mysteries. The conversation with Ryu had made him uncomfortable. He was not as dumb about love as his sensei had implied many times. The monk might not have spent much time thinking about the secular world but getting married and having children was not denied to members of the order. Hideo knew a married couple who had overcome the trials together, and for all that they could breathe fire and call down lightning, the pair were not any different from any other parents.

Ryu's interest in him was unexpected however. The young Phoenix had only known him for less than a week now. They had barely shared more than a hundred words before last night.

A loud sigh echoed in the garden as Hideo closed his eyes to try to meditate some more. Ryu's issues were his own, if they were fated to string together then things would work out that way. Hideo's eyes should remain on the tree in front of him.

Dipping into the emptiness around him the monk tried to reach out with his soul towards the garden around him. Feel the movements of the moss, the solidity of the stone. Within his mind he conjured the image of the maple in front of him. Tall, green, aged.

His eyes were not that green.

The monk snorted in anger as his meditative state fell to pieces. Deep breathing followed as the monk got his thoughts in order. He must banish worldly concerns from his mind. Focus on the tree. Focus on the tree. Focus…

His lips moving silently Hideo closed his mind to the outer world and repeated his mantra. Focus on the tree...focus on the tree…

-------------------------------------------------Line Break---------------------------------------------

Tenna was a very old woman but that did not stop her from doing her duty of taking out the waste pans and other trash to be taken by the eta. She could remember a time before the fall, a time before the sky was torn open in a gashing hole. It had not been a pleasant experience all told, her brothers killed in fighting between tribes, her daughter stolen and made the bride of a elder of another tribe.

The organization of the Kami, the creation of the Empire, was the creation of order. The creation of harmony. It did not bother her one bit that she was a part of a new class of people who were told what to do. The samurai had created a world in which the murder and kidnapping of brides held too high a price to be regularly practiced. Her grandchildren and great children would grow up not knowing a world in which they were subject to the swaying whims of village elders. Instead virtuous samurai, chosen by the gods, would dictate their place in life.

All this and the current state of Lord Shingen's underwear were revealed to Hideo in his initial foray into intelligence gathering. His own understanding of the heimin had contributed to his choice of speaking to the servants first. The villagers he knew had often gossiped about everything from the weather to the newest affairs of their headman. A washwoman to the lords and ladies was unlikely to be any different.

"[I done told all I know young man]" The old woman spoke in a dialect of Rokugani Hideo suspected was invented by a drunken idiot. It was intelligible but barely. "[The big man done did his thing and made big yells that night. Frightened I was to hear it.]"

Her weathered, cracked face was scrunched up in remembrance of that night.

"[Yelled out. Destroyed a whole wall the big man did. Tore through big way.]" Her shaky hands were raised as she made a weak punching motion. "[It done then.]"

"Ai o-obaa, I understand. Peace follow you and your kin." The monk clasped his hands together in respect to her age and assistance.

"[No need, no polite necessary.]" This respect was replied with a deep bow on her part. Tenna did not smile but Hideo could tell she was extremely pleased. Another soul elevated a little higher through care and compassion.

Leaving the washroom the young Togashi began to mentally organize his intelligence.

Mirumoto Shingen's castle was divided into an inner keep and outer keep. A square box surrounded by high walls, the outer keep had repelled the advances of more than one army. The inner keep contained the family rooms and offices of state. Shingen slept in the highest room of a squat tower in the middle of his castle.

A few weeks ago there had been a great commotion because the lord had literally torn through a wooden wall and fallen a couple of stories down upon a rampart below. Surviving though not without some injuries, Mirumoto-sama had called a group of priests to bless his rooms the following night. They had done their duty diligently according to Tenna.

The morning after Shingen had flown into a rage about something and threatened to behead them all as traitors. Fearing for their lives the religious leaders tried again, and this time it appeared to work. Mirumoto-sama had apologized publicly and donated aid.

Hideo rubbed his smooth chin in thought as he passed a few servants in the outer courtyard.

Spiritual issues were never simple. And Hideo's education had not focused on spirits or hauntings. It would be best if this was simply the work of an eccentric lord with an overactive imagination. A deep sigh escaped him as he mused.

Nothing was ever that easy...

His feet had carried him from the washrooms out to the gate of the castle. Green eyes passed over the swarms of heimin and functionaries walking under the shadow of the stone walls. Following the path Hideo observed the square design of the thick stone as it passed up into a tower. This appeared to be the inner keep. Indeed, the lord's personal mon hanging from the middle section made it clear.

Maybe I should take a look around up there. The governor would not begrudge me a visit, would he?

Hideo snorted at the thought. Poking around the lord's belongings would be the height of rudeness. It was a highly improper request at the best of times and Shingen did not seem all that sane to the young monk. His delight at watching one of his own guard captains die put an unpleasant weight in the Togashi's chest.

The slanting architecture was functional, if not beautiful, and captured Hideo's attention as he tried to imagine the events of that night. A yell, a crashing sound, a long drop…

Huh?

There was a quick flash of something up there that caught his attention. Squinting against the sun Hideo's eyes spied what he thought for a moment had been a person. Someone or something wearing grey and brown keikogi (training uniform) had seemingly appeared from the rooftop of the tower and slipped into an open window. Or maybe it was a large bird?

Should I…?

He scanned the faces of those around him to see if anyone else had noticed anything. None of the guards were looking his direction, and everyone else was heading to their destination without any care. Hideo was the only person who saw something. Though now he was doubting his own eyes.


[] Alert someone to a possible intruder

[] Scale the tower wall to follow whatever he saw

[] Say nothing, he likely was imagining things

Will update tomorrow.
 
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2.19 Cities End
[x] Scale the tower wall to follow whatever he saw

It took only a few moments work to tighten his robes against his body. Hideo's eyes scanned the tower surface for a second. Faint cracks that could serve his climb were cataloged at a glance before sparing another look around at the guardsmen.

One near the end of the courtyard was talking with a smaller woman. A pair of heavy tetsubo wielding guardsman stood at attention near the gate. The rest of the sentries were walking the walls or guarding the entrance to the tower. No one to see the monk clamber up the backside of the stone bricks.

His sensei would call this stupidly reckless. Not that Hideo was listening to the nagging echoes of his teacher's voice. Sensei had also been the one to throw Hideo off the side of a mountain without rope.

Green robes safely adhered as tight as his obi could manage the slightly muscular Togashi began his ascent. Hideo's fingers were long and thin with the nails cut cleanly down by a lifetime of brutal treatment. They were made for this work. For all that the tower's surface was made to repel invasion it had obviously not been designed to stop a dedicated climber. Many thin cracks between the hewn stone gave purchase to the tips of his fingers, his forearms bulging as they kept his body aloft by grip strength alone.

A few short moments later and Hideo had scrambled up almost the height of 10 men before making a misstep. His sandel did not fit exactly upon the edge of the rock and the thin bamboo article slipped from his foot to make a light sound on the ground below.

"Shit," Hideo breathed as his eyes scanned the courtyard beneath him. No one had noticed anything. At least no one was looking up.

"Shit, shit, shit…," The Togashi monk hurried as quickly as he could up the rest of the tower hoping that no one bothered to look up and find him. The sun was on his side thankfully, the wall behind him casting the backside of the tower under a shadow.

His long ponytail swayed slightly as he jumped up to reach the window sill. Hideo's right arm bulged dragging his body to the edge of the room inside. A quick glance around the room revealed no one immediately in sight. The idea of hanging around (literally) outside the tower and getting spotted was unpleasant enough to drive him into the room without another thought. A quick flip dropped Hideo into a crouch on the wooden floor of an...armory. Weapons of all kinds covered the walls. Long blades, curved swords, a dozen spears, all shined to the most perfect sheen with obvious care.

The Togashi's eyes passed over the weapons without much curiosity. The governor was a man of war obviously but he was not here to observe the decor. A pair of doors were open at the opposite side of the room, one leading to a long hall and the other to a bedroom. A large pillow and futon were laid out under green silk sheets. No sign of any…

A faint sense of something scratches across Hideo's consciousness. Like a dark cloth smothering a candle the room suddenly seems dimmer to his eyes. The faintest smell of blood washed through his nostrils. Out of the corner of his eye the steel upon the wall appeared to be dripping. Without another thought the samurai's sword is out of its sheath in front of him.

A moment passes in silence. Between one blink and the next the room returns to its previous unassuming exterior. Still with his blade out Hideo takes a step forward with his shoe-less foot careful to make no sounds.

He was not alone. He would bet his life on it.

Snrk…

His ears strain to hear the lightest sound. Every beat of his heart is a drum in his ears, rising in tempo. Another step.

Green eyes flick around the room furiously investigating every edge and dark corner. A weight presses on his shoulders like death robes. Silently Hideo breathes out a long cloud of condensate.

As he drew closer to the open doors the temperature plunges. The weight on his shoulders grows even heavier. The chill penetrates his robes without wind stilling the marrow in the Togashi's bones. Each step comes slower now as the weight on his body mires his limbs in heavy bonds. Despite the debilitating crush his sword remains firmly in front of him. Whatever this was it was nothing compared to the power of a waterfall.

Spirits are capricious beings, completely inhuman, and unknowable to the likes of mortal men. The voice of his sensei arises in the back of his mind. A faintly remembered lesson spoken under a starry sky. Some prize bravery, others skill. Still more just want to kill and eat mortal souls. Be wary, my boy, of the ones who seek out men. Their purposes are rarely benign.

Another cloudy breath sneaked out while Hideo's eyes continued their scan of the room. The pale white walls filled with blades offered no hint of the presence. Another step and the room dimmed again.

Along the edge of a curved sword a pair of glowing red eyes stared out at the young monk. Matching its gaze the Togashi felt a sudden spike of danger. Hideo swirled around with his sword held high but there was nothing behind him. The exposed skin on his arms and neck began to let off white trails of steam as the temperature dropped even further.

Keeping his legs very still Hideo slowly turned his neck to stare at the curved sword behind him. Nothing but the slightly blurry reflection of the room greeted him. No eyes anywhere.

Another heartbeat passed before Hideo closed his eyes and breathed out. Whatever it was, he was not going to find it with his mortal eyes. The essence of the monk's soul reached out into the room through his skin to the fill the void around him. Nothing in front...behind…

Above!

Hideo's eyes opened and he tilted his head to stare at the ceiling. Half a dozen small balls of bright light circled a corner of the ceiling before winking out one by one. As each one disappeared the lead sheet on his shoulders disappeared. The ice in his blood melted as if it had never been there. Suddenly able to move again without that presence Hideo spent a long moment centering his breathing before rushing through the armory into the bedroom.

-------- Line Break --------


The bedroom was large and extravagant through and through. Silk screens, hand embroidered hunting scenes, expensive pieces of pottery, a massive ink painting of a stag goring a bear. Shingen's quarters were everything one would expect but Hideo did not give a fuck. The experience from earlier kept the small hairs along his neck upright. A quick look around discovered nothing that looked like fiery balls of light or a brown clothed martial artist or whatever fucked up nonsense was about to jump out at him.

A few moments of heavy breathing slowed his heart to a less painful pace while the monk made sure that all his limbs were attached. Flashbacks of the fight with the gaki made his hands shake for a moment. Then they steadied and he actually made an effort to look around. A group of scrolls laid up next to the bed drew his attention after a minute of observation.

'A Broken Blade'...'The Wandering Fox Spirits'...'The Lusty Kitsune'...

Frowning Hideo considered the lord's choice in literature. The drawings were especially illustrative of the content within. In his position the young monk would have been meditating on the Tao or at least looking up what spirits this might be. Not reading...pillow books.

For the next few minutes the Togashi combed over the rest of the sparse articles for anything out of the ordinary, finding neither spirit nor mortal. A dozen cups of fine make. A comb gilded with gold. A pillow filled with down feathers. More scrolls, a few letters with different combinations of mon. Nothing worth mentioning aside from a sealed packet with the Otomo mon affixed to the top.

A look at the ceiling revealed no spirits or men hiding, and there was nothing more than a chamberpot behind the silk screens. Another passage around the room revealed nothing else. So Hideo carefully made sure nothing looked disturbed and mentally prepared himself to cross the armory to escape.

Scrtch...scrtch...scrtch…

There was the sound of a sandal on the tatami mats and Hideo was still in the bedroom frozen near the door. This did not sound like a spirit, but instead a man. His head would be on a block if he was caught in this room. The Togashi's mind began to race as he considered his options. The only way into the bedroom was the armory and the nearest way out of the tower was through that window in the armory.

[] Hide and wait.

[] Flee out the window through the armory.

[] Write In

I am doing NaNoWriteMo. So there will be a few updates this month at least. This is largely shit right now, but hopefully I can make it better soon.
 
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monk clamber up the backside of the stone bricks.

It's a sign ! :V

But on a more serious note what do you guys suppose we do?

I mean yeah we could flee, which would mean we would be safe but at the same time we will probably be seen and even if we are not identified this would definitly raise the guard of everybody involved while not really helping in regards to the obviously supernatural problem, in the worst case it would also mean that we would have to flee the city

Hiding and waiting carries similar risks in that if we are caught, we are pretty much done for in regards to this city, best case we manage to flee, while the worst case would see us death, however the gains could be worth it if Shingen is the person who currently approaches us, since it might allow us to learn more about the situation and something we probably wouldn't be able otherwise

Then I suppose we could also seek refuge in audiacity and literally just sit and mediate until the person arrives, before we demand to see Shingen and gamble on the on the fact that Shingen is obviously haunted, by confronting him with what we noticed and gain his approval to investigate the matter, maybe offer them in exchange for so rudely investigating his private rooms

For now I tend to hide and wait, even if it would be dishonable to hide like an assassin in the shadows
 
[X] Hide and wait.
-[X] Spend void to temporarily gain stealth skill.


Fu Leng-Sama calls for the blood of a lord!

More info is always good. Besides the Spirit leading us here was a sign!
Inb4 it's just a bored kunoichi who is wondering why this random witness is even here and what to do about it.
 
[X] Hide and wait.
-[X] Spend void to temporarily gain stealth skill.

Indeed, a failure here would be suboptimal.
 
2.20 Cities End
[X] Hide and wait.

-[X] Spend void to temporarily gain stealth skill.


Hideo rolls 4k3 (Stealth/Agility + Void for skill) - 14 ([9, 3, 2], 2)

Servant A rolls ??? (Investigation/Perception) - 14

Cutting across the room in a dash the monk jumps onto the wall with a slight groan from the wood and parkours up the corner. Without having been conscious of it Hideo mirrored the actions of the spirit from earlier by hiding in the high ceiling of the bedroom.

Kept aloft by the iron muscles pressing against the walls the young Togashi is treated to a bird's eye view of the bedroom as a small woman dressed in a thick blue and green uniform walks in. Hideo slows his breathing to quiet the loud bass of his heart. For a moment he imagines she can hear it because she pauses in front of the futon and looks around curiously. A painful clench in his chest begins. Her eyes pass under his position but do not linger.

He watches her shake her head and continue over to the silk screen beneath him. The faintest smell of waste wafts to his nose as the young woman bends over the chamber pot and opens the lid. He cannot see her face but he imagines her lips are curled when she quickly closes it with a click. The bun of her tied hair bounces a little when she leans around the silk screen suddenly. Hideo's neck hairs stand at attention while her eyes scan the room again. The eyebrows below him push together on her cute face as she steps from behind the screen.

"Hello?" A small voice comes from her mouth, light and slightly fearful. "H-hello?"

The monk's breathing slows to a complete stop as he begins to imagine sinking into the wall. Nothing to see here. Just us walls. No need to scream and bring dozens of well armed samurai.

She spins around and begins to back up towards the door on shaky legs. "No o-o-ne? H-hello?"

Her leg catches on the edge of the futon. As the young woman falls she makes a short frightened cry that cuts off when she lands. "AH-ah-"

Hideo stays absolutely still. No breathing. No blinking.

Her uniform in a disarray the servant flops off the futon and makes for the door breathing heavily. She does not quite make it to the doorway before falling again with a second cry. Though Hideo thought this one sounded more pained than the first one.

Once she scrambles to her feet it is only a second before she disappears out the door in a tangle of limbs. Hideo breathes out a long sigh. Then he hears her scream for help and curses under his breath.

"HELP! SAMURAI-SAMA HELP! A DEMON- I" from there he hears her fall again, but Hideo does not feel inclined to find out if guards were coming to search the rooms. He drops to the floor and scampers in lightning steps to the window in the other room.

Hideo rolls 3k2 (Athletics(Climbing)/Strength) - 12 ([7, 5], 1)
Leaping out the window Hideo sticks out a hand to grab the faint cracks in the tower wall. Slipping a little the monk's fingers shredded a chunk of the stone and his nails before gathering purchase. Suddenly stopped the Togashi monk sends a silent prayer of thanks and does his best to get to the bottom of the tower without being seen.


------- Line Break ------


Having recovered his lost sandal Hideo was now making his way to the upscale inn to meet with Ryu. He had been terribly lucky that no one had seen his descent from the window, in fact one of the guards had noticed Hideo once he reached the ground and alerted him to an 'incident' that was in progress. The Togashi had taken a few minutes to assist the troop of guards in locking down the tower area and clearing anyone who did not belong. Making his excuses, the Taoist had beat a hasty retreat once it became clear that they were trying to limit exposure to the 'demon' they thought was there.

The rain had begun to come down from the cloud filled sky almost the instant his foot left the castle walls. Having no hood or heavy cloak, Hideo ignored the rain dripping into his robes with patience born of long suffering. At least it was not sleet.

It was the work of a few moments to make his greetings to the innkeep and be led up to the top floor to meet with Ryu. Hideo made sure to straighten his weathered robes and wipe off what water he could before stepping into Ryu's room.

A teapot was set up as the now golden and red clothed Isawa fussed with the cups. Turning a moment Ryu and Hideo bowed to each other in greeting without speaking. Hideo took his place across the cups. In silence the Phoenix served them a pale green tea that tickled the monk's nose.

Staring at the bottom of his cup it occurred to Hideo that as important was water was, it was quite uncomfortable sliding under his hair. It would be rude to squeeze it out on the floor so the monk resolved to wait for the air to dry it naturally.

"What happened?" Ryu's pale face was frowning at him with a pointed look at Hideo's hand. "Your hand…?"

"Uh…" Hideo opened his mouth and then closed it. Telling Ryu that he had snuck into Lord Shingen's rooms could go poorly for Hideo if Ryu was inclined to blackmail him. But Ryu might need to know about the spirits...

What does Hideo say?

[] Write In
 
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