Remove ads

Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

Voting is open for the next 1 hour, 36 minutes
Reader mode
I was talking about the traps we faced during the third event (chapter 169 for instance). And that may be true but the possibility of treachery irks me
 
Waffle said:
So, I've been unable to post for a while but something's bugging me: how the hell did our opponents manage to outplay us during the third/fourth event? We avoided disaster by a hair's breadth when all traps were spotted against the odds and then the enemy both managed to track us down inside a hidden tunnel our own teammates struggled to find. On top of that before retcon the enemy also knew enough about our tipserator to throw an explosive tag at it. Has this been cleared up in the meantime or is there a real possibility of someone in our team betraying us?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Best guesses:

During the third event, we were followed out of the Mizukage Tower. The fact that there weren't any further attacks suggests that they either couldn't find us again or were afraid of leaving their client undefended.

The fourth event tunnel trap strongly suggests that the enemy knew Hazou's identity when he initially went to dig the tunnel, and followed him undetected. Hazou's persona for the event was a pretty obvious Jiraiya lookalike, so it's possible they deduced his identity from that, and just tailed him continuously. There are some problems with this possibility, and I suspect they cheated and were tipped off by a proctor or acquired the information before the event started.

The explosive tag was just an opportunistic attack by someone who thought the chaos we created wasn't enough.
 
I'm thinking about defenses for the next round, and I have a question for the QMs.

@eaglejarl, @OliWhail, @Velorien, frequently the party has access to expert advice on a given topic. In this case it is the engineering pangolin. The temptation is to simply ask the expert what to do and defer to their experience, with perhaps a suggestion or two, because that is how it works in real life.

However, since the QMs have to actually come up with that advice, it seems like it would cost a lot of spoons to do things that way.

How do you want to handle this in the future? I have one idea. Whenever we ask an expert for advice, the plan includes some suggestions as to what that advice might be in a spoiler tag. The suggestions are just there to help the QMs figure out what the expert says, and do not count towards the word count cutoffs.

Each suggestion also includes a suggestion for any mechanical benefit the adive would confer.

An example:
  • Hazou asks Hana for advice on what to do about his relationship problems with Akane
  • Hana realizes that they have in fact broken up, and consoles Hazou.
    • Aspect bonus to his resolve check to not get a mental consequence.
  • She recommends some grand romantic gesture.
    • Aspect bonus to a rapport check to try and win back Akane, aspect penalty to any empathy checks involved.
  • She recommends he go for Ino instead.
 
Immortal Lurker said:
How do you want to handle this in the future? I have one idea. Whenever we ask an expert for advice, the plan includes some suggestions as to what that advice might be in a spoiler tag. The suggestions are just there to help the QMs figure out what the expert says, and do not count towards the word count cutoffs.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It seems reasonable, but I think it would be better to put the suggestions in a separate post; same benefit but no effort when doing wordcounts.

Oh, also: at some point, someone asked why we didn't use the SV wordcount at the bottom of the input box. The reason is because it counts tags as well as actual text -- for example four words in bold actually counts as six, because of the 'b' tag at start and end.
 
Question with that proposal - would the players' suggestions be for spoons (flavor + writing suggestions) or actually considered mechanically (you didn't account for X, Pangolin engineer didn't account for X, you got murdered due to X even though it was engineer's suggestion)
 
Citrus said:
Question with that proposal - would the players' suggestions be for spoons (flavor + writing suggestions) or actually considered mechanically (you didn't account for X, Pangolin engineer didn't account for X, you got murdered due to X even though it was engineer's suggestion)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I would rather it be the former -- if only because there's stress enough on the playerbase to create good plans without having to make plans for what Pangolin Engineer does, or what sort of sealing (im)precautions Jiraiya has, or how Panashe approaches an infiltration site -- but I can also see that being an issue because, well... how do you say that an expert overlooked something, then? We'd inevitably get in a tiff or blame ourselves for it and then the Suggestions list would grow inordinately longer in further updates.
 
Cariyaga said:
I would rather it be the former -- if only because there's stress enough on the playerbase to create good plans without having to make plans for what Pangolin Engineer does, or what sort of sealing (im)precautions Jiraiya has, or how Panashe approaches an infiltration site -- but I can also see that being an issue because, well... how do you say that an expert overlooked something, then? We'd inevitably get in a tiff or blame ourselves for it and then the Suggestions list would grow inordinately longer in further updates.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And so the cycle continues.
 
Remove ads
Chapter 198: Realization
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 198: Realization​

    "By the way, Jiraiya, you have my condolences," Ōnoki said.

    Jiraiya looked up from the teacup he'd been staring at, idly contemplating if having more would be worth it—on the one hand, marginally more wakefulness for the remainder of this nightmarishly long meeting. On the other, definitely more trouble sleeping and the need to pee again soon. Stepping out of these meetings was always a risk; you never knew what the others would get up to while you were out of the room.

    "Hm?" he asked. "Condolences? For what?"

    "Why, your children not making the tournament, of course," the Earth Kage said sweetly. "A pity. They had a chance until the fourth event."

    Jiraiya frowned. "What are you talking about? Scores aren't settled yet. They can still pull through."

    A, the Raikage, chuckled.

    "I applaud your familial loyalty," said the massive mountain of muscle. "However, they are simply too far behind."

    Jiraiya snorted. "Really? Care to bet on it? I've got a lumber contract that says you're wrong."

    A's left eyebrow rose. "Under what terms?"

    "When this event ends, if my kids are in the top sixteen on points then we sign my original draft. If they aren't, I sign the draft you've got in front of you right now."

    Both eyebrows surged for the summit of A's brow. "Are you serious?"

    "Serious as death," Jiraiya said, locking eyes with his counterpart.

    "Gentlemen," said That Woman, "I think perhaps we're all a bit tired, and—"

    "No, no," Jiraiya said, waving her to silence without looking away from A. "A is a big boy. He can talk for himself. What do you say, A? How much do you want my lumber?"

    A looked at the contract in front of him, frowning, then looked back up. "Jiraiya," he said at last. "Sincerely, I applaud your devotion. Part of me is tempted to take your bet, and perhaps I should. We could certainly use the lumber. Overall, however, I think it would be unwise. We both know that this draft"—he gestured to the papers in front of him—"is ridiculously one-sided, and was only ever a bargaining position."

    Ooh, clever, Jiraiya thought. He refuses the bet on moral grounds, showing the others how trustworthy he is. Next comes the compliment....

    "Whatever else you are, you are a man of honor—"

    Boom! Next comes the knife....

    "—and when I won the bet, you would sign. Such stringent terms would never pass in Leaf; your merchants would protest the loss of revenue, the other clans would rise up against you, you would lose the hat and I would be stuck dealing with Hyūga."

    ...aaand, there it is. The reminder that my hold on the hat is tenuous and that any deals with me might not be worth the paper they're scribed on.

    Jiraiya chuckled. "All right," he said. "How about this?" He grabbed his brush and quickly struck out several lines of the document in front of him, scribbling replacements in the margins, then slid them across to A. "There. If I win, we use the clauses on the left. If you win, we use the ones on the right. Now will you bet?"

    A read through the draft, frowning, then looked up. "You're serious. You actually expect to settle a major trade deal on a bet about children? Children who are simply too far behind for you to win?"

    Jiraiya grinned. "If you think it's a sucker bet, why won't you take it?"

    "May I?" asked Rasa, holding out a hand towards A.

    A passed the papers over so that the Kazekage could review them. The other man skimmed through quickly, flicking each sheet aside with practiced efficiency until he got to the end.

    "These terms are...not as unreasonable as I expected from you, Jiraiya," Rasa said. "If you strike the part about the spices then I would be willing to accept them, with the terms on the right."

    Jiraiya considered suppressing the smile and then chose not to. Instead, he lounged back in his chair and let the smile blossom into a full-on grin. "Would you now? Well, then I'll offer you the same bet. If my kids are in the top sixteen at the end of the fourth event then you and I sign using the terms on the left. If not, we use the terms on the right. In either case, we substitute the spices for twenty pounds of dried sandswimmer blood."

    Rasa reviewed the papers again. "I accept."

    That Woman extended her hand, a trace of curiosity actually appearing on her face. The Kazekage passed the papers over and she began to read through them.

    A frowned. "You are very confident," he said, sizing Jiraiya up like one would size up a battlefield opponent. "Why? They simply don't have the points. They would need to defeat essentially every other contestant. Yes, your daughter's pangolins are impressive, but that is not enough."

    Jiraiya shrugged. "Then take the bet."

    A considered it a moment longer, lips pursed. "No," he said at last. "This deal will cost you the hat, and I don't want to deal with Hyūga. If your time simply runs out then it will likely be Nara who attends the next meeting. I confess I don't like the idea of crossing knives with him, but I still prefer him to Hyūga."

    Jiraiya shrugged. "Your loss," he said. "Those are good terms and you know it. Besides, Rasa has agreed, so the hat is already on the line."

    A shook his head. "I don't walk into ambushes, Jiraiya. I don't know why you're so confident, but I'm not taking this bet. Rasa can supply the metals but you still need my spices. I'll negotiate my own deal."

    "Why are you so confident, Jiraiya?" the Tsuchikage asked, reading the proposed deal in turn. "A is correct. Your children are simply too far behind. Yes, your daughter is a Summoner and before the Exams you equipped them with a ridiculous number of seals. Still, even if they defeat all the other contestants in this first round they would be crushed in the second."

    Jiraiya chuckled. "Care to make a bet for yourself?"

    He pondered that. "We do not need lumber," he said at last. "We prefer to build in stone and we have coal for heat."

    Jiraiya shuffled through the papers in front of him. "Here," he said, pulling out the one that he'd been completely unable to get the other Kage to move on. Once again, he struck out the clauses that had been particular sticking points and wrote replacements in both margins. "You get your trade route through Fire to Noodle, Tea, and the eastern nations. I get coal and rockskipper eggs." He handed the paper over.

    Ōnoki reviewed the document carefully, then crossed out several of the marginal notes. There was no room left on the page so he took a blank page from the communal stack in the center of the table. A few graceful and economical swirls of his brush and he wordlessly passed the whole packet back to Jiraiya.

    Jiraiya reviewed the changes. "Ha!" he said, shaking his head. "Come on, that's ridiculous." A few strokes of the brush and a new draft went back. By now the other Kage were following the byplay with interest.

    Three more drafts were exchanged before Ōnoki finally nodded. "I accept," he said. "If your children make it to the tournament then we use the terms on the left. If not, the ones on the right."

    Jiraiya raised a hand. "Uh-uh," he said. "The bet is whether or not they're in the top sixteen when this event ends. I'm not losing out just because they get sick or injured during the training period."

    Ōnoki raised an eyebrow. "Very well," he said. "I agree to the terms."

    Jiraiya looked at That Woman. "What do you say? You want in on the action?"

    She shook her head. "No," she said. "Your elder son is a sealmaster in his own right and experienced at traps, so their fortress in the second round will be nigh-impregnable. Your daughter is a Summoner and your younger son used to be a Wakahisa. He can provide all the chakra she needs to keep her pangolins on the field through both rounds, and he will drain prisoners as they go in order to replenish his reserves."

    Rasa cursed, A smirked, and Ōnoki frowned.

    Aww, was someone surprised? Jiraiya thought smugly. Between the chakra drain and the pangol—

    His eyes went wide and he surged to his feet. "Excuse me," he said quickly, already hurrying for the door. "Bad stomach, gotta go." The door had barely closed behind him before he chakra boosted; he was into the office across the hall and through the window before a civilian could have blinked, racing for the East Gate as fast as his feet could go and flicking off a Substitution whenever he saw a valid target. The voice of fear screamed 'Too late, too late!' in the back of his mind, alternating with the voice of shame that bellowed 'Fool! Why did you not think?!'




    XP AWARD: 0

    There will be no voting.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Cariyaga said:
    I would rather it be the former -- if only because there's stress enough on the playerbase to create good plans without having to make plans for what Pangolin Engineer does, or what sort of sealing (im)precautions Jiraiya has, or how Panashe approaches an infiltration site -- but I can also see that being an issue because, well... how do you say that an expert overlooked something, then? We'd inevitably get in a tiff or blame ourselves for it and then the Suggestions list would grow inordinately longer in further updates.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Create an aspect that give us dice bonus?

    eaglejarl said:
    @faflec or anyone else with canon-fu: Who is Tsuchikage at this point? Is it Kurotsuchi?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Oh, is Iwagakure going to cry awful lot of salt? I hope not, not after what the Yellow Flash did to them in the Third Ninja World War. That was a humiliating defeat.
     
    Hey, faflec, remember that time you were panicking that we were all going to diiiiieeeeeeeeeee a few chapters ago?

    ...

    Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh, now is the real time to panic.
     
    I mean, I still got no clue what this is about. Something to do with pangolins and chakra drain, apparently?

    Do pangolins turn into gremlins after midnight? Do they explode when sustained with the wrong flavor of chakra? Is there a Summoner from an enemy tribe somehow on the field?

    It seems to me that it has to be something that would cause actual, permanent harm to at least some exam contestants. If it was just that the team going to going to lose, that would have been cause to feel terrible, but not to run desperately towards the exam grounds. For the life of me, though, I can't think of anything that would cause that other than, I guess, the pangolins suddenly going berserk and into "kill everything" mode. But there's never been any clue that I know about of anything that would make them do that.
     
    SCREAMING IN POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES

    Ahhhhhhh!!!!! Is Jiraiya drunk!?!? He is risking the Hat over this! Even if he wins! What did he not think about? What did we miss?!?!?!?!

    Okay. Be calm.
     
    Maybe the Jashin Cultists team is leaving? Not sure how he would have gotten a message though.

    Probably something on the 7th Path? Only way I could imagine somebody slipping him a message without 4 Kages and their escorts noticing.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Voting is open for the next 1 hour, 36 minutes
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top