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Legend of the Ronin (Legend of the Five Rings)

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[x] Read it now

That, I was not expecting. True, Crab. But still.....


Ok, killing her was the right move.
 
Tachimiko came very close to killing Megumi, if not for those failed attack rolls and a medicore damage roll towards the end of the fight....well that's just how luck works it seems.
 
[X] Read it now

Glad we took one of the two combat advances with that last pick. I suspect either one of them would have worked, but I'm thinking that the social advance would have killed us.
 
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Arc VI: A Dragon's Eyes is upon you
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    • You had barely been dragged away from the street where the still cooling body of Tachimiko was left when you decide you want to read the letter. You look at a small ramen bar and decide that will do.

    "Isawa-sama, put me down here, lets read the letter and see if it says what we need to say" You manage to get out.

    Kyoko, honestly happy to have an excuse to put you down, quietly slides you on to one of the stools and orders some ramen to keep people from being too upset that she had dragged a half dead ronin into their shop. The owner an older fellow of maybe forty summers, simply grunts and makes a motion for a few more bu. Kyoko growls but hands it over.

    Silence bought, Kyoko takes out the letter, and lays it out for you both. In fact there are three letters. One addressed to Moshi Naeko, one addressed to you, and one addressed to Katsuie. You glance at Kyoko and then raise a hand to the shop keep to get some tea as you settle in to read your letter.

    From the hand of Hida Tachimiko, Daughter of Hida Otaru, student of Hida Muriki and sister of Kakita Katsuie.

    Sakura if you're reading this, then you've won. Etiquette says I should congratulate you, but fuck that. We've been enemies too long for there to be anything like courtesy between us. I know that I went trying to kill you, and my fondest wish is you die of the wounds I gave you.

    You never understood why I hated you though, not really. I don't think anyone did, and I suppose that is why I'm writing this now. Because I want someone to know, I want someone to bear witness to what I am. There's only two people in the world who could or would. My brother and by some forsake fate you.

    How you survived as a ronin remains a mystery to me. I had dismissed you as an empty bimbo who had some how seduced my brother. Somehow been everything I was not, somehow, gained his love. I'm not going to give you a sob story about how I was born technically a bastard, unloved but taken care of because honour demanded it. How I was consigned to only barely being legitimized in exchange for never holding any real power...how Katsuie was the only one who made time for me. The one who raised me more than any other.

    I'm not going to tell you that story, because it doesn't matter. I know, now that something in me broke a long time ago. Some sort of restraint or...support, I don't know what to call it. Most people, most Samurai have a sense of what they are in the dark, some don't like it, some love it, but there's always an intrinsic knowledge about that.

    I have never had that. I defined myself by being Katsuie's beloved sister, the only woman now that his mother passed, that he would ever truly love. And you took that from me, for taking something so dear, there was really only one choice I had, to kill you.

    This thought drove me here, following you as I recognized your description even as Megumi moved west. This thought brings me to the state I'm in now, barely held together by magic.

    Don't spit out your drink or whatever. There's an explanation, and as much as I want to kill you, if you killed me, then maybe, just maybe you have a shot of avenging me. See, if I had my way? We would have fought after your little break out. Quick, simple and clean...but that wasn't allowed.

    Sagon, the Rakshasa did not allow it. He had a use for me, and how or why he knew of my difference I never discovered, but he used that weakness, ruthlessly. His magic is...powerful, a greater master of air does not exist outside of the Isawa. He trapped me in mists when I went to kill you, and showed me....

    It does't matter what he showed me, what matters is that he broke open my cracks, the daughter of a daimyo, even a legitimized bastard can move in ways that would benefit him. Slowly over the course of days and weeks he manipulated me, changed me. Even now a part of me is screaming at the betrayal, screaming that I must destroy this letter, and follow instructions. Its hard to fight, but I manage, by holding on to my hate for you.

    He had me investigate the Yasuki dying, you know the one. I found the truth Sakura, that you have the princess...and now Sagon knows as well. He intends to capture her on the way, but he fears your sword, no I don't know why but he does. He'll use his own cultists and catspaws to harry you, to drag you down before he comes and takes her as his own. To corrupt the Empress of Rokugan, would that not be a fine trick? That is what he said to me.

    Sakura, I have no right to ask this of you, not when everything I am still yearns to kill you, but kill that bastard, kill him, and end his madness. Kill him and bring my letter to Katsuie. A final word of advice? Sagon can shape shift.

    Farewell Sakura you bitch
    {Hida Tachimiko's Chop}
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    "Huh fancy seeing you here Megumi" A voice calls out to you from behind. You know that voice, it is Kitsuki Kisu.

    Why of all the magistrates, did he have to be the one to respond to the disturbance?

    "Kitsuki-sama" You say stiffly, turning around to bow.

    "And the infamous Isawa Kyoko-sama as well, an odd pair to be sure...do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Kisu asks calmly.

    You can already sense several yoriki moving around you. You are in no condition to fight. So all you can say is "Yes"

    "Ah good, now tell me what do you know about the recent death of one Hida Tachimiko?" Kisu asks.

    His face says he's friendly, his body says he knows your involved somehow....

    [] Write in an answer
     
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    • Something something duel on a matter of honor/Justice? Lay out the story of challenging her word on the matter of the gaijin, and having her challenge us to a duel to the death on the spot. Kitsuki method should make it pretty clear that the woman died in combat, and that we bear wounds from the weapons she was wielding. Also, we have a witness. Maybe tweak it so that the things we're saying are all technically true.

    Technically, we are also a magistrate right now. Might be able to leverage that a bit.

    On the flip side, there are issues here. That it's this investigator in particular is apparently an issue, and I remember nothing about them. We'll want that info before we actually come to a conclusion as to what to do.

    Simonbob said:
    We need to test him.

    He might be it.
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    I approve of this idea in theory. Do we *know* any Rakshasa tests?
     
    Let's see what ye old Lore Test gives you...3k2=9 and that gives you...nothing. Afraid Megumi is apparently so tired as to not remember any Rakshasa tests.

    Kitsuki Kisu was the man who originally jailed Megumi way back then and investigated her in the aftermath.
    gman391 threw 3 10-faced dice. Reason: Lore Rakshasa Total: 10
    5 5 1 1 4 4
     
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    Okay, so having read up a bit more on Kitsuki Kisu... let us assume for the moment that he's not a Rakshasa
    - He has reason to think at least somewhat well of us. For a ronin who gets into trouble a lot, we are pulling our weight on serving the Empire, and he knows it. So... both face and body are telling the truth here. He's friendly, and he's *sure* we're involved. This is *probably* part of some broader investigation into Things that he's been doing. He's not going to take well to being palmed off without being told things. My inclination has changed. The only issue that I have is that I seem to recall that there was a reason to not talk about the Rakshasa too much. Will need to go back and look at that more. Unfortunately, "how much do we tell him about Rakshasa" is going to have an impact on how we frame everything else.

    ..and if we assume that he *is* the Rakshasa, then he knows everything already (up to and including the fact that we're part of the crew protecting the princess). The only thing he wouldn't know is how much *we* know. I tend to doubt that this is the Rakshasa. If he were choosing to directly interfere at this time, I have a feeling that this isn't how he would do it.

    edit: Rakshasa have worked a magic that lets them know when their name is spoken. They're also ridiculously powerful, though, according to our sources, there are only three of them total.
     
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    [] " Kitsuki-sama, we intended to speak with Hida Tachimiko on a matter of honor. I expected conflict, as we did not get on. A honorable duel ensued, started by Hida Tachimiko, that ended with her death. It is most regretable."

    Improvements? Questions?
     
    Rereading the letter... according to Tachimoko, the Rakshasa's MO is to harry us with his minions and catspaws, and only come after us himself once we have been weakened. Admittedly, that *would* describe our current condition. Additionally, he fears our sword... suggesting that if he has an opportunity to kill us off, he'll probably take it. Why wouldn't he? We're wounded enough, and tapped out enough on basically everything that we're not going to be able to meaningfully oppose him. We pretty much have to assume that this is the real guy.

    [x] "Kitsuki-sama, we had a disagreement with Hida Tachimoko over her accusations against Naomh Roberts, as I knew her testimony to be untrue. Hida Tachimoko insisted on a duel to the death, driven in part by personal issues she had had with me. I obliged."
    -[x] Mention that you have a letter, written by her for Moshi Naeko, to be delivered in the event of your victory, you will happily deliver this letter as soon as you have had a moment to recover from the aftereffects of the fight, and the honorable Kitsuki would be welcome to accompany you as you do. You suspect that its contents will be pertinent.
    -[x] Admit that the duel had been a long time in coming.

    This is being pretty open, and it's leaning hard on the assumption that Kitsuki-sama is not the Rakshasa, and not a pawn of the Rakshasa. If that assumption is incorrect, it likely leaves us even more severely horked than we would have been - but it's arguably the difference between "very dead" and "very, very dead", so....
     
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    [] Sirrocco

    Covers all my stuff. Still can't think of a way to test the Kitsuki without pulling out the sword (and dieing seconds later.)
     
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    Anyone want to try poking holes in what I have to say? Perhaps proposing an alternative? I did what I could to build it, but I have been wrong on things like this before.
     
    Sirrocco said:
    Anyone want to try poking holes in what I have to say? Perhaps proposing an alternative? I did what I could to build it, but I have been wrong on things like this before.
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    Only that it's pretty well known we didn't get on with Tachimoko, so we don't need to spell out why we clashed.

    Now that I think of it, dueling isn't legal, either. Ok, Un-voting. I'll keep thinking.

    [X] "Kitsuki-sama, we intended to speak with Hida Tachimiko on a matter of honor. I expected conflict, as we did not get on. A honorable duel ensued, started by Hida Tachimiko, that ended with her death. It is most regretable."

    All true. Just skipping a lot of details.

    We don't want to say anything more, as it may be held against us.
     
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