Praise to the Emperor, the voice of the Heavens, and the rightful ruler of all within the...
[L5R] Minor Clan Quest
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User Total Mina 1 storybookknight 63 Ashmaker 1
0.1 - Prologue
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Praise to the Emperor, the voice of the Heavens, and the rightful ruler of all within the Emerald Empire! Let it be known that one among you all has shown the valor and grace of a true samurai and brought great honor and glory to her ancestors! By the iron will of Hantei XXXI, this humble ronin has been granted a family name and holdings from Imperial lands, to be passed down forever unto their descendants!
It is the year 913 by the Isawa Calendar, and you have just rescued the Emperor from near-certain death at the Village of Sacred Stone. Hantei Hantetsu, 31st of His Line, was traveling through the unaligned lands between Scorpion and Crab with only a small contingent of Seppun guardsmen.
And then the Kolat attacked.
While the humble village was burning around you and arrows flew out of the darkness, you leapt to the Emperor's defense, turning the tides of the battle at a critical moment. If not for your valor it is possible that the Emperor would have perished, leaving the lands of Rokugan leaderless - and potentially sparking a terrible civil war. For this you were granted the nearly unprecedented honor of a Family Name and Minor Clan status, the first person to be so honored in nearly 200 years! This will be the story of your dynasty, and how it affects the future of Rokugan!
Who are you, and how did you come to be in the humble Village of Sacred Stone?
Namazu Tsubaki
It is the year 913 by the Isawa Calendar, and you have just rescued the Emperor from near-certain death at the Village of Sacred Stone. Hantei Hantetsu, 31st of His Line, was traveling through the unaligned lands between Scorpion and Crab with only a small contingent of Seppun guardsmen.
And then the Kolat attacked.
While the humble village was burning around you and arrows flew out of the darkness, you leapt to the Emperor's defense, turning the tides of the battle at a critical moment. If not for your valor it is possible that the Emperor would have perished, leaving the lands of Rokugan leaderless - and potentially sparking a terrible civil war. For this you were granted the nearly unprecedented honor of a Family Name and Minor Clan status, the first person to be so honored in nearly 200 years! This will be the story of your dynasty, and how it affects the future of Rokugan!
Who are you, and how did you come to be in the humble Village of Sacred Stone?
Namazu Tsubaki
Namazu Tsubaki
- Player Character: Character Generation
-
Age: 24 (Winter 913)
Personal Name: Tsubaki
Family Name:KoiNamazu
Family Animal:It has a complicated relationship symbolically, "In Love" in the language of flowers, but also closely resembling the decapitated heads of warriors in that it drop its blossoms as a whole instead of petal by petal. The red color fits with her birthmark, and the name is at once an affirmation of her disturbing features and the beauty juxtaposed within, and a challenge of sorts. It wouldn't be an easy name to live with looking like she does, but she's obviously taken everything life's thrown at her and tossed it right back with a laugh.CarpCatfish
Granted Lands: Zakyo Toshi and its surroundings
Signature Weapon: Eku (Battle Oar)
Appearance:
Titles: Founder of the Catfish Clan, Clan Champion of the Catfish, Daimyo of the Gold province
The bastard child of a Scorpion samurai, you had the misfortune of having been born with a large red birthmark over your right eye. As your father was unwilling to acknowledge you due to the potential ill-luck that you would bring, you fell in with a group of Ronin smugglers that worked the rivers of the southern lands and facilitated trade between sworn enemies such as the Yasuki and the Doji that could not be seen to interact with each other - as well as less legal merchandise coming from Scorpion lands. You were on your way to Zakyo Toshi when you saw the battle, and provided an escape route for the Emperor by spiriting him away on your riverboat.
Starting Clan Advantages:
- Criminal Network - You are associated with a network of smugglers, gamblers and geishas, at the center of a web of intrigue and funds.
- Great Clan Allies - The Black Cranes of the Crab family have been patrons of your ronin group for years and are willing to continue to give you theirsupport, while your Scorpion heritage could potentially win you assistance from that quarter as well.
- Infamous Reputation - Your origins as a criminal will work against you, leaving others to regard you in a similar light to the Scorpion, Tortoise, and Mantis.
- Stats & 5 Rings
- School Techniques
- Skills
- Advantages & Disadvantages
The Namazu Clan
- Clan Stats
-
Founding: 913
Founder: Namazu Tsubaki
Originally an Otokodate of honorable Ronin known as the Laughing Carp (the Warakkoi-gumi), the Namazu were founded when one of their members, known only as Tsubaki, saved the Emperor from a bandit attack in the year 913.
Honor: 3.5 - Though significantly more honorable than most Ronin, the Namazu still came from Ronin stock, and have yet to develop a firm set of traditions that they can rely upon. The recent addition of many less-honorable Ronin into their ranks has still left them slightly more honorable than most Ronin, but there is much work to do if the Honor of the Catfish is to rival that of other clans.
A clan's Honor statistic represents the Honor value of its average member, and is a general guideline to how the members of that clan behave.
Glory: 4.2 - Due to the glorious deeds of their founder, the Namazu have earned some measure of recognition from the wider world. However, the fact that they allowed a large number of Ronin to swell their ranks is seen as slightly questionable, an admission of weakness that contradicts the initial impression given. They have recently gained a great deal of glory thanks to the immortalization of their founder in song.
A clan's Glory represents how likely that members of their Clan are to be recognized for their positive deeds, and the general opinion that the Empire as a whole has of them. Glory decreases over time as memories of past deeds fade away.
Status: 2.5 - As a recently founded Minor Clan, the Namazu have very little influence over the politics of the realm as a whole.
A clan's Status represents their influence on the realm as a whole, the precedence given to them in formal situations, and so on.
Example Status ranks:
10 - Emperor
9 - Imperial Families
8 - Crane and Lion
7 - Crab, Dragon, Phoenix, Scorpion
6 - Unicorn
5 - Fox
4 - Mantis, Dragonfly
3 - Hare, Sparrow, Tortoise, Centipede
2 - Falcon, Catfish
1 - Kanosei Furudera, Nanashi Mura, other 'civilized Ronin'
Infamy: 0.3 - Because of their origins as vaguely criminal Ronin, their role as patrons of the geisha of Zakyo Toshi, and the unusual habits of their Bushi in using oars, the Catfish Clan had a faintly unsavory reputation. However, due to some social manipulation by the Clan's founder, much of that tarnish has been polished off.
Clans who perform questionable deeds, or who engage in practices that the rest of the Empire would ordinarily consider dishonorable, gain Infamy accordingly whether they lose personal Honor for such acts or not. The Scorpion Clan has high Infamy, but so do the Unicorn for their unusual eating habits.
Unity: 5.5 - There is little doubt that Namazu Tsubaki is the rightful leader of the clan, and there is high confidence in her decisions. However, frictions between the Warakkoi-gumi and the new additions of the Firemen and Ronin to their ranks exist, and will take time to smooth out.
Unity is a measure of the Clan's social capital and confidence in its leaders. Attempting to develop new traditions or break old ones, adopting new people into the clan, public embarrassments, and deaths of a leader can decrease Unity, whereas Clan celebrations, time, the removal of unpopular elements, and great victories can increase it. - Dojos
- Clan Traditions
- Notable Members
- Notable Associates
Namazu Provinces
- Namazu Clan Domain
-
- Gold Province
- Wave Province
Map of Rokugan
Province Mechanics
Province Mechanics
The basic unit of governance is a Province. As the leader of the clan, one province of your lands will be under your direct control; any provinces other than a capitol will require you to assign a provincial Daimyo to look after your interests there.
Like Samurai, Provinces have 5 Rings. Each Ring takes the value of the lower of its two subcategories.
EARTH - is the Ring of productivity and commerce. A province with weak Earth runs the risk of being unable to feed its people or armor its troops.
Like Samurai, Provinces have 5 Rings. Each Ring takes the value of the lower of its two subcategories.
EARTH - is the Ring of productivity and commerce. A province with weak Earth runs the risk of being unable to feed its people or armor its troops.
- Instead of Willpower, Provinces get Commerce. Commerce is a measure of how much your province makes from its relations with others. A province with high Commerce but low Production is weak to famine.
- Instead of Stamina, Provinces get Production. Production is a measure of the amount of crops that you grow, resources that you gather, and goods that you craft. A Province with high Production but low Commerce is weak to embargos.
- Instead of Awareness, Provinces get Diplomacy. Diplomacy is a measure of how frequently visitors from other Clans come to your courts, and your ability to be a good host. A province with high Diplomacy but low Popularity risks unplanned cultural changes or riots.
- Instead of Reflexes, Provinces get Popularity. Popularity is a measure of your Clan's reputation with the commoners that you govern. A province with high Popularity but low Diplomacy risks unplanned wars or alienating allies.
- Instead of Perception, Provinces get Information. Information determines a province's ability to notice plots and to spy upon foreign courts. A province with high Information but low Enforcement risks being unable to act on important information.
- Instead of Strength, Provinces get Enforcement. Enforcement determines a province's ability to make arrests, remove undesirable elements, or intimidate potential enemies. A province with high Enforcement but low Information runs the risk of subversion.
- Instead of Intelligence, Provinces get Education. Education is a measure of the capabilities of a province's dojos, and of the sophistication of their equipment. A province with high Education but low Battle is at risk from manpower loss and to fighting while outnumbered.
- Instead of Agility, Provinces get Battle. Battle is a measure of the number and quality of a province's troops. A province with high Battle but low Education is more likely to lose in duels, and at risk when fighting foes with superior training.
- Enlightenment measures a Province's relationship with the Kami and the priesthoods. Provinces with high Enlightenment will find themselves achieving moments of extraordinary success in unfavorable circumstances, and generate above-average numbers of shugenja. Low Enlightenment will achieve the reverse.
Example of how this would play out:
Tsubaki, the Namazu Daimyo, wants to show her devotion to the Emperor by destroying a nearby bandit camp belonging to the Forest Killers. Gold Province (home of Zakyo Toshi) has a Battle of 3; Namazu Jiro (her General) is somewhat inexperienced, so he grants only 2 additional kept dice to this check. Luckily, the bandit camp is a small one, and is only TN 15 to destroy. Thus, the roll is 5k3 vs. TN 15.
EDIT: After rolling the dice, Jiro has a 27, meaning that he easily mops up the pitiful bandit troops. If however the bandits had secretly been under the leadership of a maho-tsukai (TN 30) he would have failed.
storybookknight threw 10-faced die for: Bandit Extermination Total: 36
Tsubaki, the Namazu Daimyo, wants to show her devotion to the Emperor by destroying a nearby bandit camp belonging to the Forest Killers. Gold Province (home of Zakyo Toshi) has a Battle of 3; Namazu Jiro (her General) is somewhat inexperienced, so he grants only 2 additional kept dice to this check. Luckily, the bandit camp is a small one, and is only TN 15 to destroy. Thus, the roll is 5k3 vs. TN 15.
EDIT: After rolling the dice, Jiro has a 27, meaning that he easily mops up the pitiful bandit troops. If however the bandits had secretly been under the leadership of a maho-tsukai (TN 30) he would have failed.
storybookknight threw 10-faced die for: Bandit Extermination Total: 36
[ ] Earth. An unusually talented mercenary from Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru (the city of the Rich Frog), you are associated with the Kaeru "family" of ronin. Despite the fact that your family offers a nearly unprecedented amount of recognition and support to ronin, it has historically done so by kowtowing to the proud Lion and Unicorn samurai that come from the lands around it. You were traveling to the Kaiu Wall, hoping to participate in the Twenty Goblin Winter and thus to become a member of the Crab Clan, but saw an opportunity when the Emperor himself was under attack to seize glory and fame.
Family Name: Kaeru
Family Animal: Frog
Granted Lands: Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru and the surrounding area
Clan Advantages:
Ronin Family - you have a ready source of potential family members to form the core of your clan.
Established Territory - The City of the Rich Frog already has a long history and plentiful citizens, making it a valuable and wealthy province!
Clan Disadvantages:
Covetous neighbors - Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru has been a part of both Unicorn and Lion lands at various points in its history, and both families are well familiar with its wealth.
Signature Weapon: Machi-Kanshisha (Steel Smoking Pipe)
[ ] Water. A former shugenja of the Kuni family, you were unusually weak in the element of Earth. You managed to pass your gempukku by the narrowest of margins, but your skill with all-important Earth spells such as Jade Strike was too unreliable to allow you to serve on the Kaiu Wall. For a while you contented yourself with the knowledge that you were a skilled healer, gifted in not only Water spells and the herbalist's art but also those Kiho that enabled healing, and even the 'unclean' arts of surgery. Over time however the shame grew too much to bear; you petitioned your family daimyo to allow you to renounce your family name so that you could travel to the Temple of Osano-Wo and take up a life of meditation and study.
Family Name: Shika
Family Animal: Deer
Granted Lands: The Thunder Plains and the outskirts of central Shinomen Mori.
Clan Advantages:
Shugenja family - being favored by the Kami allows your family a disproportionate amount of power and influence compared to its size.
Monastic ties - though you never quite managed to join the Brotherhood of Osano-Wo, the priests there look kindly upon you and are prepared to offer their assistance where they can.
Clan Disadvantages:
Unsettled lands - The area you are granted is sparsely populated, home primarily to monks and to the spirits of Shinomen Mori. Building a Minor Clan of noteworthy size may take significant effort.
Signature Weapon: Bisento
[ ] Fire. A simple peasant, you have served in the past as an Ashigaru for the Crab family. You were praised for your skill at arms, and dreamed of the day when you would perhaps do something notable enough to elevate you to the status of Samurai. When the Kolat attacked you realized that day had come; you came to the Emperor's defense without hesitation and attacked with startling ferocity and skill. Though your simple Yari broke, you managed to pick up one of the foreign Tulwar swords that the Kolat carried and used it - though untrained - in an unpredictable yet effective manner that bought your Emperor the time he needed to rally his guardsmen and carry the day.
Family Name: Yuukei
Family Animal: Rooster
Granted Lands: Shiro Akatsuki (Castle of the Breaking Dawn), the southern Mountains of Regret, and other territories to the north of Otosan Uchi.
Clan Advantages:
Honorable Reputation - Yours is a story of unambiguous heroism, which will earn you support from many quarters.
Peaceful Territory - Your neighbors are the Emerald Champion, the Emperor, and the Phoenix; though the Mountains of Regret have been known to harbor bandits and even Goblins, you are at little risk of being conquered in battle unless all of Rokugan is at war.
Clan Disadvantages:
Peasant Upbringing - You will begin with no experience in courtly ways, and no formal experience with battle, which could serve as an immense handicap.
Signature Weapon - Tulwar
[ ] Void. A member of the Kanosei Furudera, the order of clanless shugenja, you have always possessed an unusual affinity to the realm of Yume-do. Ever since you were a child you have had prophetic dreams that showed you glimpses of the future; together with your ability to speak to the Kami it has allowed you to pursue the life of a wandering diviner and poet. One day you had a dream where you saw the Emperor in danger. Upon opening your eyes, a butterfly took off of your face and flew South. Following dreams and portents, you managed to arrive just in time to importune the elements on the Emperor's behalf.
Family Name: Chou
Family Animal: Butterfly
Granted Lands: The southwestern shores of Chrysanthemum Lake and surrounding areas.
Clan advantages:
Shugenja family - being favored by the Kami allows your family a disproportionate amount of power and influence compared to its size.
Prophetic gift - the dreams and prophecies of your founder will grant you the means to chart a safe passage through the years of history.
Clan disadvantages:
Haunted lands - Located between the Unicorn and the Falcon lands on the western edge of Rokugan and the northern edge of Shinomen Mori, there is a much higher risk of evil spirits and creatures from the Shadowlands threatening your family lands.
Clan Weapon: Shakkujo (Monk's Staff)
Family Name: Kaeru
Family Animal: Frog
Granted Lands: Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru and the surrounding area
Clan Advantages:
Ronin Family - you have a ready source of potential family members to form the core of your clan.
Established Territory - The City of the Rich Frog already has a long history and plentiful citizens, making it a valuable and wealthy province!
Clan Disadvantages:
Covetous neighbors - Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru has been a part of both Unicorn and Lion lands at various points in its history, and both families are well familiar with its wealth.
Signature Weapon: Machi-Kanshisha (Steel Smoking Pipe)
[ ] Water. A former shugenja of the Kuni family, you were unusually weak in the element of Earth. You managed to pass your gempukku by the narrowest of margins, but your skill with all-important Earth spells such as Jade Strike was too unreliable to allow you to serve on the Kaiu Wall. For a while you contented yourself with the knowledge that you were a skilled healer, gifted in not only Water spells and the herbalist's art but also those Kiho that enabled healing, and even the 'unclean' arts of surgery. Over time however the shame grew too much to bear; you petitioned your family daimyo to allow you to renounce your family name so that you could travel to the Temple of Osano-Wo and take up a life of meditation and study.
Family Name: Shika
Family Animal: Deer
Granted Lands: The Thunder Plains and the outskirts of central Shinomen Mori.
Clan Advantages:
Shugenja family - being favored by the Kami allows your family a disproportionate amount of power and influence compared to its size.
Monastic ties - though you never quite managed to join the Brotherhood of Osano-Wo, the priests there look kindly upon you and are prepared to offer their assistance where they can.
Clan Disadvantages:
Unsettled lands - The area you are granted is sparsely populated, home primarily to monks and to the spirits of Shinomen Mori. Building a Minor Clan of noteworthy size may take significant effort.
Signature Weapon: Bisento
[ ] Fire. A simple peasant, you have served in the past as an Ashigaru for the Crab family. You were praised for your skill at arms, and dreamed of the day when you would perhaps do something notable enough to elevate you to the status of Samurai. When the Kolat attacked you realized that day had come; you came to the Emperor's defense without hesitation and attacked with startling ferocity and skill. Though your simple Yari broke, you managed to pick up one of the foreign Tulwar swords that the Kolat carried and used it - though untrained - in an unpredictable yet effective manner that bought your Emperor the time he needed to rally his guardsmen and carry the day.
Family Name: Yuukei
Family Animal: Rooster
Granted Lands: Shiro Akatsuki (Castle of the Breaking Dawn), the southern Mountains of Regret, and other territories to the north of Otosan Uchi.
Clan Advantages:
Honorable Reputation - Yours is a story of unambiguous heroism, which will earn you support from many quarters.
Peaceful Territory - Your neighbors are the Emerald Champion, the Emperor, and the Phoenix; though the Mountains of Regret have been known to harbor bandits and even Goblins, you are at little risk of being conquered in battle unless all of Rokugan is at war.
Clan Disadvantages:
Peasant Upbringing - You will begin with no experience in courtly ways, and no formal experience with battle, which could serve as an immense handicap.
Signature Weapon - Tulwar
[ ] Void. A member of the Kanosei Furudera, the order of clanless shugenja, you have always possessed an unusual affinity to the realm of Yume-do. Ever since you were a child you have had prophetic dreams that showed you glimpses of the future; together with your ability to speak to the Kami it has allowed you to pursue the life of a wandering diviner and poet. One day you had a dream where you saw the Emperor in danger. Upon opening your eyes, a butterfly took off of your face and flew South. Following dreams and portents, you managed to arrive just in time to importune the elements on the Emperor's behalf.
Family Name: Chou
Family Animal: Butterfly
Granted Lands: The southwestern shores of Chrysanthemum Lake and surrounding areas.
Clan advantages:
Shugenja family - being favored by the Kami allows your family a disproportionate amount of power and influence compared to its size.
Prophetic gift - the dreams and prophecies of your founder will grant you the means to chart a safe passage through the years of history.
Clan disadvantages:
Haunted lands - Located between the Unicorn and the Falcon lands on the western edge of Rokugan and the northern edge of Shinomen Mori, there is a much higher risk of evil spirits and creatures from the Shadowlands threatening your family lands.
Clan Weapon: Shakkujo (Monk's Staff)
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A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
[X] Fire
[X] Male
[X] Male
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Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
C'mon, our Great Feat is "We helped the Emperor run away from a fight" and our family bushi will be trained in the art of beating people to death with oars (A method of killing people endorsed by Miyamoto Musashi and Chatan Yara).
Our destiny can only be GLORIOUS.
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[X] Wind
[X] Male
Deciding the second based on a roll. 1 = female, 2 = male
[X] Male
Deciding the second based on a roll. 1 = female, 2 = male
[X] Void. A member of the Kanosei Furudera, the order of clanless shugenja, you have always possessed an unusual affinity to the realm of Yume-do. Ever since you were a child you have had prophetic dreams that showed you glimpses of the future; together with your ability to speak to the Kami it has allowed you to pursue the life of a wandering diviner and poet. One day you had a dream where you saw the Emperor in danger. Upon opening your eyes, a butterfly took off of your face and flew South. Following dreams and portents, you managed to arrive just in time to importune the elements on the Emperor's behalf.
[X] Male
[X] Male
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- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thanks! I'll go back and edit it - Void's clan weapon is the shakkujo, the monk's staff with rings at the top.
EtchedSteel
*mumble mumble*
- Location
- Lima. Peru
[x] Wind
[x] Female
[x] Female
- Location
- United States
[X] Fire
[X] Male
Because Toku
[X] Male
Because Toku
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Oh, I forgot to pick a Gender.
[X] Wind
[X] Female
Because Slue Foot Sue in Rokugan.
[X] Wind
[X] Female
Because Slue Foot Sue in Rokugan.
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[X] Earth. An unusually talented mercenary from Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru (the city of the Rich Frog), you are associated with the Kaeru "family" of ronin. Despite the fact that your family offers a nearly unprecedented amount of recognition and support to ronin, it has historically done so by kowtowing to the proud Lion and Unicorn samurai that come from the lands around it. You were traveling to the Kaiu Wall, hoping to participate in the Twenty Goblin Winter and thus to become a member of the Crab Clan, but saw an opportunity when the Emperor himself was under attack to seize glory and fame.
[X] Male
[X] Male
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Wind Female seems like it has the lead, but I'll let some more votes come in before I decide for sure.
Is there other information that people would be interested in that would help them make up their mind?
Is there other information that people would be interested in that would help them make up their mind?
[X] Water.
[X] Male
[X] Male
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
How angry are the Yasuki that we're stealing their heraldic animal?
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Hey, it's not like that's ever been the cause of any problems in the past (looks what happened to the Snake Clan when they tried to hijack the Otomo family animal).
Well, I think I found Wind's first plot arc.
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- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Potentially somewhat! On the other hand, the Carp family of ronin were actually created by the Yasuki as a deniable smuggling asset (as reflected by the Clan Allies advantage) so they can't really get too mad - it's their own fault!
Incidentally, the Deer is a heraldic animal associated with the Hantei, but since it's a Hantei giving the animal away(and since they have the Imperial Chrysanthemum anyways) I doubt he'll get too mad.
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[X] Earth
[X] Male
[X] Male
You need to edit your previous vote, otherwise you'll only be voting on the gender.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
I already voted for an Element in my first post in the thread. Appreciate the heads up, though.
A Nation's Virtue
南國山河南帝居
He means the vote tallying program will only see your gender vote.
- Location
- Connecticut
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Eh, I'll probably just hand-count it in any case, at least in to start off with. I doubt this thread is going to get beyond my ability to do that with, at least to start out.
Which is the point. It's no issue if storybookknight counts the votes by hand, but if he uses the vote tally program, you later vote will override your earlier one, meaning it will ignore your vote for the element and only count your vote towards the gender.