- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
DECEIT: "Sorry, I was looking for your mom's room."
ENEMY NINJA: "Uh... okay. Why?"
RAPPORT: "To give you the younger sibling you've always wanted."
ENEMY NINJA: "OMG, that's so nice of you!"
Stormfall (An AU Naruto Quest)
- Thread starter Shrooms
- Start date
ENEMY NINJA: "Uh... okay. Why?"
RAPPORT: "To give you the younger sibling you've always wanted."
ENEMY NINJA: "OMG, that's so nice of you!"
[X] Get close to a Samurai guard tower and have Kenzō spy on their conversations with Stolen Whispers
- Location
- Somewhere
Alright, I have free time to read and be a human being again! Dobby is free! Let's see what I missed...
Wait, what?
Ohhh... RIP. Though a part of me wonders if there's a little bit of Star Wars Force ghosts going on here and we're getting some real Jun thoughts from across the void. Like 1%.No I don't have copium what are you talking about?
Thank fuck Haru's not actively malicious or spiteful.
Ooof... GG mang.
Lmao
I really like this scene and I have no idea why. Guess I just like smithing lol
Oh damn, alright, we talking about this then? I rate it.
Kenzo buddy, Momoka's right. You did nothing wrong, and running was probably the right choice. If you could've frozen time and thought it at that point, would hanging around or investigating have given you a chance to save them?
Oh wait I just re-read it and his teammate was begging Kenzo to kill him. Oh fuck yeah OK that's rough and traumatizing. I mean, you gotta look out for yourself first but uh. Yeesh. Look, it's really hard to deal with situations that you have no reference for. Who could've expected some crazy ass shit like that? Run first, get time to think it through. And maybe... we can investigate rumors later of that Yokai? Wonder if that ghost is still puppeting around bodies to this day. I wonder if it has bodies stored and available for use, like the Grand Fisher from Bleach.
Lmao the occasional clueless moment really reminds me of Hazou
Makiko based, Kenzo you lucky mf
LOL! I love how in Shion's POV she always this quieter inner voice that reflects her true thoughts.
Lmao OK I wrote that and then in the next chapter, Stompy's plan title is literally called Keeping it Cool, hahaha. Come on, Solid Snake mode, we got this!
Phewww, thank fuck. Although it'd be kind of funny to interact with Leaf ninja while under this civilian persona going forward, I hope it can be revisited. Though I guess everyone would need deceit for that. I wonder if the Sarutobi genin figured something out? Or maybe she was just twinging on the fact that they really don't feel like they're married.
Shion: "Got it, better yeet myself into them, LEEEEEEEEEEROYYYYYY mmMMJENKINSSSS!"
What a lil' psycho lmao
He then just sorta grabbed my arm and put the rest of the skewer down, and when I asked him what I was eating, I got a firm "don't ask." To this day he hasn't told me.
All this to say, I feel Kenzo's pain.
Oh shittt, this is a decision and then some to make.
Thank fuck I have a backlog and can just insta-jump to the next chapter instead of having to wait lol. But before I do, lemme see where I'd land.
If voting was open and I was around during this time, my gut instinct be leaning towards doing it. It's for a meta reason though, I'm just kind of more interested in seeing the difference between "honorless shinobi" and samurai. The one caveat is that I'd want info gathering first to feel out both sides a little. Take some risks and investigate a bit deeper. The team has to respect Jun's wishes to be good people and look after the civvies, yeah... but I dunno, a high-up merchant isn't who Jun usually advocated for. Ugh, but it's still just justifying murder... but I wanna see what happens... blargh.
OK, lemme see if I can reason myself into the immoral choice. On the rare chance that the merchants are improving QoL for the town and will be better for everyone, then Shiori can go kick rocks, but this probably isn't the case. It's probably just power switching hands between two equal groups. So, the big question is does the Daimyo's help actually really help the team if they pull this off? Enough to justify the heat? Lotta question marks there. All of this is contingent on the fact that the Daimyo's help actually gets the team to the broker and that they wouldn't be able to really do it on their own. So we'd wanna verify that first. IF so...
IIRC we're doing this to get to the info broker, yeah? To eventually get access to Paper jutsu, as well as to be somewhere where you can continue chasing the goals the team set out earlier. Well, that Kenzo and Shion set out, Momo's just down to explore and maybe find Mister Right for herself. The Broker will probably have the team do similar jobs. How lucky would you need to be to be only given morally upright jobs like beast hunting when you have the complete skillset of a shinobi?
So some points to say Just Do It: you're gonna probably be doing this later anyway, so rip off the bandage now. And just be selfish and think of yourselves and accrue power anyway. Plus you can probably work for the Daimyo again later? Assuming her help actually has value. Which actually I guess it does, the team doesn't really have resources and they need someone to work for. Unless they wanna work labor jobs like peasants.
The points to Lol No: if we determine that the Daimyo doesn't have enough value added and they can get by another way, or if we determine the Daimyo is the greedy type to leave us out to dry the second the job is done.
There's also that Interesting wildcard. Not sure how to read into that lol
I'd say Just Do It is more interesting though so I'd go for that. Alright, spent like 45 minutes thinking about that, now let's see what the gang chose...
I thought they were about to do it, but wait, it seems like they're going for stealing the map? Alright alright, that's suitable shinobi, I'll take it! And I guess it jives better with their "don't kill civvies" thing which is more consistent. Now I feel like an asshole for advocating for murder lol
Wait what? She wanted us to try to kill the dude, but the dude was probably hiring ninja of his own? But how would us killing - I don't. What? Was just killing him option 1, and failing that now she's trying to get proof of the dude hiring ninja? Would us attempting to kill the guy reveal that the dude had his own ninja?
On the one hand, phew no disadvantageous shinobi fight. On the other hand, damn no shinobi fight in a samurai city.
Oh shit is someone saying words that civilians wouldn't be able to hear and gauging their reaction? Hahaha fuuuuck man...
Out of the options available...
[X] Get close to a Samurai guard tower and have Kenzō spy on their conversations with Stolen Whispers.
This seems like the best option. Looking ahead briefly, it seems like that's the direction that others are feeling so it's good to know that I'm lined up there. Not sure if votes count if I leave em in the middle of a huge post like this though. Maybe I need a separate post?
Wait, what?
Ohhh... RIP. Though a part of me wonders if there's a little bit of Star Wars Force ghosts going on here and we're getting some real Jun thoughts from across the void. Like 1%.
Weaponized failure, Steven He would be proud. Get baited mf. Also, sickkkk fight!
Thank fuck Haru's not actively malicious or spiteful.
Ooof... GG mang.
Lmao
I really like this scene and I have no idea why. Guess I just like smithing lol
Oh damn, alright, we talking about this then? I rate it.
Kenzo buddy, Momoka's right. You did nothing wrong, and running was probably the right choice. If you could've frozen time and thought it at that point, would hanging around or investigating have given you a chance to save them?
Oh wait I just re-read it and his teammate was begging Kenzo to kill him. Oh fuck yeah OK that's rough and traumatizing. I mean, you gotta look out for yourself first but uh. Yeesh. Look, it's really hard to deal with situations that you have no reference for. Who could've expected some crazy ass shit like that? Run first, get time to think it through. And maybe... we can investigate rumors later of that Yokai? Wonder if that ghost is still puppeting around bodies to this day. I wonder if it has bodies stored and available for use, like the Grand Fisher from Bleach.
Lmao the occasional clueless moment really reminds me of Hazou
Makiko based, Kenzo you lucky mf
LOL! I love how in Shion's POV she always this quieter inner voice that reflects her true thoughts.
Momo has her priorities straight.
Aight, where does one acquire a Makiko? Asking for a friend.
Oh shit a Senju. Maybe it's a common name? Who am I kidding... Alright, be cool guys.
Lmao OK I wrote that and then in the next chapter, Stompy's plan title is literally called Keeping it Cool, hahaha. Come on, Solid Snake mode, we got this!
Alright, a Shimura too. On a team with a Senju. Maybe coincidence, but yeah fucking with those kinda names would bring some heat so hopefully nothing happens.
Sarutobi. Okay yeah definitely do NOT fuck around, do not redeem, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
That's about what I'd expect of Leaf ninja here. Different moral standards, different time, different environment. Uncomfortable, but I can't really flame him for being a normal person socialized to their usual standards instead of some ahead-of-his-time moral paragon.
Phewww, thank fuck. Although it'd be kind of funny to interact with Leaf ninja while under this civilian persona going forward, I hope it can be revisited. Though I guess everyone would need deceit for that. I wonder if the Sarutobi genin figured something out? Or maybe she was just twinging on the fact that they really don't feel like they're married.
Damn, did this man know he'd die if he succeeded and continue all the same? He must've. I respect the dedication.
Momo: "We're completely outnumbered!"
Shion: "Got it, better yeet myself into them, LEEEEEEEEEEROYYYYYY mmMMJENKINSSSS!"
What a lil' psycho lmao
This girl is definitely an adrenaline junkie riding a high
I remember eating a skewer of some meat in Japan that tasted different than anything I'd ever had. I didn't know what I had ordered since I just left it to the cook to select, and the store was a bit off the beaten path where no one spoke English. My buddy who was more familiar with Japanese asked the cook what it was.
He then just sorta grabbed my arm and put the rest of the skewer down, and when I asked him what I was eating, I got a firm "don't ask." To this day he hasn't told me.
All this to say, I feel Kenzo's pain.
Oh shittt, this is a decision and then some to make.
Interesting? What do you mean, interesting?!
Thank fuck I have a backlog and can just insta-jump to the next chapter instead of having to wait lol. But before I do, lemme see where I'd land.
If voting was open and I was around during this time, my gut instinct be leaning towards doing it. It's for a meta reason though, I'm just kind of more interested in seeing the difference between "honorless shinobi" and samurai. The one caveat is that I'd want info gathering first to feel out both sides a little. Take some risks and investigate a bit deeper. The team has to respect Jun's wishes to be good people and look after the civvies, yeah... but I dunno, a high-up merchant isn't who Jun usually advocated for. Ugh, but it's still just justifying murder... but I wanna see what happens... blargh.
OK, lemme see if I can reason myself into the immoral choice. On the rare chance that the merchants are improving QoL for the town and will be better for everyone, then Shiori can go kick rocks, but this probably isn't the case. It's probably just power switching hands between two equal groups. So, the big question is does the Daimyo's help actually really help the team if they pull this off? Enough to justify the heat? Lotta question marks there. All of this is contingent on the fact that the Daimyo's help actually gets the team to the broker and that they wouldn't be able to really do it on their own. So we'd wanna verify that first. IF so...
IIRC we're doing this to get to the info broker, yeah? To eventually get access to Paper jutsu, as well as to be somewhere where you can continue chasing the goals the team set out earlier. Well, that Kenzo and Shion set out, Momo's just down to explore and maybe find Mister Right for herself. The Broker will probably have the team do similar jobs. How lucky would you need to be to be only given morally upright jobs like beast hunting when you have the complete skillset of a shinobi?
So some points to say Just Do It: you're gonna probably be doing this later anyway, so rip off the bandage now. And just be selfish and think of yourselves and accrue power anyway. Plus you can probably work for the Daimyo again later? Assuming her help actually has value. Which actually I guess it does, the team doesn't really have resources and they need someone to work for. Unless they wanna work labor jobs like peasants.
The points to Lol No: if we determine that the Daimyo doesn't have enough value added and they can get by another way, or if we determine the Daimyo is the greedy type to leave us out to dry the second the job is done.
There's also that Interesting wildcard. Not sure how to read into that lol
I'd say Just Do It is more interesting though so I'd go for that. Alright, spent like 45 minutes thinking about that, now let's see what the gang chose...
I thought they were about to do it, but wait, it seems like they're going for stealing the map? Alright alright, that's suitable shinobi, I'll take it! And I guess it jives better with their "don't kill civvies" thing which is more consistent. Now I feel like an asshole for advocating for murder lol
Hahaha, good try Shion.
Oh shit we got some Asterius axe swings here!
Wait what? She wanted us to try to kill the dude, but the dude was probably hiring ninja of his own? But how would us killing - I don't. What? Was just killing him option 1, and failing that now she's trying to get proof of the dude hiring ninja? Would us attempting to kill the guy reveal that the dude had his own ninja?
Ohhh bet yeah that checks out.
On the one hand, phew no disadvantageous shinobi fight. On the other hand, damn no shinobi fight in a samurai city.
Hopefully they aren't talking about the homies...
That's so adorable. Good for you Shion. I'm in paranoia mode cuz of the Rain thing so I hope those aren't some assholes stealthily gathering info or something, I feel like Mad-Eye Moody over here. Also, Briar Queen? Huh.
Oh shit is someone saying words that civilians wouldn't be able to hear and gauging their reaction? Hahaha fuuuuck man...
Based Momo got her priorities straight!
Hahahaha
lol alright that's fair
Welp, he seems like a nice pleasant Yakuza fellow. Also sweet, I'm caught up! Story is sick so far, loving it
Out of the options available...
[X] Get close to a Samurai guard tower and have Kenzō spy on their conversations with Stolen Whispers.
This seems like the best option. Looking ahead briefly, it seems like that's the direction that others are feeling so it's good to know that I'm lined up there. Not sure if votes count if I leave em in the middle of a huge post like this though. Maybe I need a separate post?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Should be fine, it will just link to your big post in the tally. Speaking of which take a +2 to everyone's xp totals for your mega post
It's fine, no worries
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
You know, if we do mainline Kenzou's Deceit into the 20s after this arc, like we've discussed, that actually bodes well for the party's interpersonal dynamics --on the narrative layer. Kenzou raised concerns about Shion and Momoka's stealth capabilities, and they worked on it. Momoka raised concerns about Kenzou's deceit skills, and he worked on it.
The
Vote closed
New
Chapter 17: Shooting the Breeze
New
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"We're in," Shion said, immediately after they returned to Tadashi. "After we ask a few more questions, anyway."
Tadashi held his hands to each side. "Ask them."
She nodded. "Just recovering the documents, right?"
"Correct. Everything else is secondary. I can't fully promise what all the recovery will entail, though."
"Are there any other operatives we can depend on for this operation?"
"Mmm. Yes and no. Shirogane and Reo are two chūnin regularly under my employ, but they are combat specialists. If what I know of you is true, your group's skills in the finer arts of subtlety and discretion are superior to theirs. Chiyome is a sealmaster genin younger and even less experienced than they are, and is unlikely to be useful. Nor are any of her seals particularly suited to espionage as far as I'm aware. Rokuro is greatly experienced in the infiltration arts, but has the higher priority of plugging the leak in our organization." Tadashi quickly flipped through a few papers as if double checking something, then looked back up at them. "My other contacts are currently off performing other missions, so I would not expect them to be of much use in the near term. I have plenty of civilian agents to draw from, but you should be well aware of their limitations." He gave a bit of a contemplative stare, then smirked. "Though, I'd caution you against underestimating us."
Shion glanced at her teammates. "Thoughts?"
Kenzō shrugged. "We don't really need firepower yet. If discretion is going to be an issue with the others, then I say we do it ourselves for now." He looked back over at Tadashi. "Is the… compensation going to change, if we don't need help from the others?"
Tadashi stroked his beard, mulling it over. "It is true that less manpower saves on costs on my end… but I'm leery of encouraging you to bite off more than you can chew in the hopes of some extra scraps of cash. If you fail the mission, the pay is far worse than it would be to share, understand?"
They nodded in unison.
"Excellent. Then let us move with haste, before the Sakamoto can consolidate their ill gotten gains."
As they left the casino once more to track down the missing documents, they couldn't help but share skeptical looks. None of them had noticed anything amiss thus far, but believing every word of the leader of an organized crime faction seemed… a bit naive. Still, without the knowhow to see through any wordplay and without any context of the region to compare against, all they could do was maintain a healthy skepticism.
They nonchalantly split into three directions to enact their plan. Momoka went off to gather materials and prepare a ghillie suit. Kenzō would evaluate the guard towers dotted around the town and determine the easiest to spy on. Shion would begin arranging a distraction that would help Kenzō slip into position.
They could only pray the Samurai were a chatty bunch inside their ivory towers.
Momoka has already discovered Aspects for Kenzō and Shion to use at the beginning of the arc as her 'downtime' activity. "Smog and Smoke" and "Sakamoto Development." She didn't create them but in this case I will let her have a tag on each just cuz
As Kenzō is on the outskirts of town I don't think either of them will really help much, so Shion will use both to generate some trouble in downtown amongst the laborers drinking in the evening with Rapport skills. This will cause at least some of the Samurai to leave their tower and make it easier for Kenzō to hide himself nearby.
Rapport check:
40 - All of the Samurai leave to deal with the disturbance. (Kenzō doesn't need to make a stealth check to get into position.)
30 - Some of the Samurai leave to deal with the disturbance. (Fewer people rolling against Kenzō.)
20 - The Samurai are briefly distracted hearing the news. (No one is actively looking when he is setting up.)
Less than 20 - The Samurai do not care. (Some of them may be rolling time-laddered Examination instead of Alertness.)
Shion, Rapport: 24 + 3 (Tag 'Smog and Smoke') + 3 (Tag 'Sakamoto Development') + 3 (dice) = 33
Ghillie suit, arbitrary stationary stealth bonus of 10% of Survival roll rounded up. They're moving quick so no timeladder:
Momoka, Survival: 30 - 9 (dice) = 21. Hmm, bad dice but technically the same as if she rolled +0 so whatever, we'll roll with it.
Kenzō, Stealth: 30 + 4 (free tag on "Frosty Field" from Undercover Operations) + 3 (Momoka's ghillie suit) + 4 (invoke "Unconventional Legacy") + 3 (dice) = 44
Normally four Samurai would be stationed in a given guard tower, but we'll say only two are available with the other two heading to Shion's distraction.
Rolling for Ashigaru Samurai Alertness stat:
S1: 30 + 6 = 36
S2: 30 + 0 = 30
Contesting Kenzou's stealth with a passive Alertness check:
S1: 36 + 0 = 36
S2: Can't beat the roll (get good.)
Kenzō settles in and is able to listen to some chatter. What is the quality of info out of 10?
1d10 -> 3. You will grasp the big picture of the plan but not time/place/specifics.
Because he can only use Stolen Whispers around 6 times before he is at half chakra (and him not wanting to be too low to fight or flee) Kenzō will only be able to catch around 2 hours of discussion in the day when accounting for chakra regen. This is enough to catch onto the scheme to move the documents but not enough to know specifics.
Essentially, the Sakamoto (and by extension the Fukuda) are leery of the Yakuza following or catching a Samurai leaving with the documents, so they will be secretly sneaking it onto a caravan, though the scrubs don't know which one, just that it either already left or is leaving soon.
Can Kenzō slip away without being noticed? He can timeladder (up to the duration of his technique) as he has plenty of time to wait and listen for an ideal opening. Sneaking away to the treeline takes a minute, so he can timeladder twice.
Examination Skills of Ashigaru Samurai:
S1: 20 - 9 = 11
S2: 20 + 6 = 26
S3: 20 + 6 = 26
S4: 20 - 6 = 14
Alertness:
S3: 30 + 0 = 30
S4: 30 - 3 = 27
Kenzō, Stealth: Kenzō, Stealth: 30 + 4 (free tag on "Frosty Field" from Undercover Operations) + 3 (Momoka's ghillie suit) + 8 (Timeladder) + 6 (dice) = 51
None of the Ashigaru can beat this roll with max time laddered Examination or their basic Alertness.
As Kenzō is on the outskirts of town I don't think either of them will really help much, so Shion will use both to generate some trouble in downtown amongst the laborers drinking in the evening with Rapport skills. This will cause at least some of the Samurai to leave their tower and make it easier for Kenzō to hide himself nearby.
Rapport check:
40 - All of the Samurai leave to deal with the disturbance. (Kenzō doesn't need to make a stealth check to get into position.)
30 - Some of the Samurai leave to deal with the disturbance. (Fewer people rolling against Kenzō.)
20 - The Samurai are briefly distracted hearing the news. (No one is actively looking when he is setting up.)
Less than 20 - The Samurai do not care. (Some of them may be rolling time-laddered Examination instead of Alertness.)
Shion, Rapport: 24 + 3 (Tag 'Smog and Smoke') + 3 (Tag 'Sakamoto Development') + 3 (dice) = 33
Ghillie suit, arbitrary stationary stealth bonus of 10% of Survival roll rounded up. They're moving quick so no timeladder:
Momoka, Survival: 30 - 9 (dice) = 21. Hmm, bad dice but technically the same as if she rolled +0 so whatever, we'll roll with it.
Kenzō, Stealth: 30 + 4 (free tag on "Frosty Field" from Undercover Operations) + 3 (Momoka's ghillie suit) + 4 (invoke "Unconventional Legacy") + 3 (dice) = 44
Normally four Samurai would be stationed in a given guard tower, but we'll say only two are available with the other two heading to Shion's distraction.
Rolling for Ashigaru Samurai Alertness stat:
S1: 30 + 6 = 36
S2: 30 + 0 = 30
Contesting Kenzou's stealth with a passive Alertness check:
S1: 36 + 0 = 36
S2: Can't beat the roll (get good.)
Kenzō settles in and is able to listen to some chatter. What is the quality of info out of 10?
1d10 -> 3. You will grasp the big picture of the plan but not time/place/specifics.
Because he can only use Stolen Whispers around 6 times before he is at half chakra (and him not wanting to be too low to fight or flee) Kenzō will only be able to catch around 2 hours of discussion in the day when accounting for chakra regen. This is enough to catch onto the scheme to move the documents but not enough to know specifics.
Essentially, the Sakamoto (and by extension the Fukuda) are leery of the Yakuza following or catching a Samurai leaving with the documents, so they will be secretly sneaking it onto a caravan, though the scrubs don't know which one, just that it either already left or is leaving soon.
Can Kenzō slip away without being noticed? He can timeladder (up to the duration of his technique) as he has plenty of time to wait and listen for an ideal opening. Sneaking away to the treeline takes a minute, so he can timeladder twice.
Examination Skills of Ashigaru Samurai:
S1: 20 - 9 = 11
S2: 20 + 6 = 26
S3: 20 + 6 = 26
S4: 20 - 6 = 14
Alertness:
S3: 30 + 0 = 30
S4: 30 - 3 = 27
Kenzō, Stealth: Kenzō, Stealth: 30 + 4 (free tag on "Frosty Field" from Undercover Operations) + 3 (Momoka's ghillie suit) + 8 (Timeladder) + 6 (dice) = 51
None of the Ashigaru can beat this roll with max time laddered Examination or their basic Alertness.
Shion slapped some coin on the countertop and sloppily called out to the bartender in the gruffest voice she could manage. "Hey man. Another round for my pals here." She tried her best not to cringe on the inside.
The group of iron miners she sat beside responded with cheers, clanking their sake bottles together uproariously (their professional demeanor had melted away about two bottles ago.) "Quite the magnanimous friend we've found ourselves, lads," a short man with a huge beard said on her left.
"Heh. Call it a special occasion. I'll have to tighten my belt back up soon enough. Pay under these Sakamotos ain't what it was under the Fukuda, yeah?"
"Pfft. Damn straight," a beefy woman covered in tattoos said, sitting across from Shion and clanking her sake on the table in agreement. "Pay's flatlined and they expect us to be grateful for providing them with all their damn metal."
"Smiths seem to be doing alright for emselves," another man grunted.
"Like they could make a damn thing without us!" another voice called out.
"Mehhhh it ain't their fault, they're tryna make a living same as any of us," Shion slurred. "They ain't the one managin' the mines. They manage them own selves, even…"
"Yeah… yeah! Not like those Samurai know the first damn thing about how we even collect their precious iron. Why should they get to decide shit-"
"I could manage ten times better'n any of em-"
"Shut it, Kyō, you can't even manage your morning routine."
"Aww, why you gotta be like that-?"
"They could learn a thing er two about respect, y'know…"
Shion took another sip of sake and tried not to throw up. Hidden Rain prepared them against all sorts of poisons… alcohol should be no different. She continued stoking anger as casually as she could manage, and hoped it'd be enough for Kenzō to get what he needed. He better damn well appreciate the sacrifice her gut was making here.
Kenzō stood just behind the treeline as night fell, and the moon began to rise. Slightly less than half full. Ideally it would have been a new moon, but he'd just have to work with the hand he was dealt. He was adorned with a ghillie suit Momoka had prepared for him to hide amongst the weeds - any real cover was cleared out to make way for the guard tower to observe all surroundings. Even with the suit, he'd have to move quickly and bury himself partially in snow to be as discreet as possible.
He waited another hour, with no response. If the moon reached the middle of the sky, he would just have to go for it and hope he wasn't spotted. But there was no need. As he waited, two of them left in a frustrated march into town. He thought he might have even heard some shouting coming from in town... Well done, Shion.
As soon as they were out of his sight, he silently crept over the frosty grass and weeds. Once he was just within his maximum range for Stolen Whispers, he used Chakra Boosted strength and quickly dug himself a miniature pit in the frozen earth, before squashing himself into it.
He resigned himself to a long evening of discomfort. Curled up, cold, and unfortunately having to wear, essentially, a glorified diaper. The other two were mercifully only snickering instead of outright teasing (though, Momoka did refer to his sacrifice along the lines of 'the Call of Duty'...)
Frankly, that was still easier to put up with than what would likely be hours upon hours of boredom and sleepiness. Oh well. Maybe the threat of them noticing him and immediately attacking him would be enough to stay alert.
Almost automatically, he put his hands together beneath the cover of the earth and ghillie suit, speaking as softly as he could manage the technique.
"Wind Release: Stolen Whispers."
"-our Taisho? He's not the type. If the Shogūn willed it, it would be so. Until then, I can't see marriage being a priority of his. The operation and well-being of Yamagakyō are his responsibility over all else."
"You lack faith not just in your companions, but in the very notion of love!"
"Ugh."
"Well, Tomatsu is getting to that age…"
"What is that supposed to mean? And don't speak so familiarly of the Taisho!"
"Eh, you know, man of his stature and wealth, Clan Elders might be expecting him to, y'know, expand his branch."
"I wouldn't mind expanding his branch."
"Please never speak of the Taisho around me again, thanks."
"Pfft. You wither in the lightest of storms."
"It's more than just his status, he is my first cousin, you know. You saying stuff like that about my family is gross. Don't be gross. Or do me the courtesy of being gross elsewhere."
"Bah."
"Wind Release: Stolen Whispers."
"-remony again. I understand the importance of tradition, but is the veneration of tea really so essential…?"
"It's not about the tea, it's about the centering of one's self, and by further extension, the melding of the spirits of each tea drinker. Be truthful, have you really given it an honest go?"
"I feel like I have…"
"I just wish they'd use yummier tea. I think I've had enough matcha for a lifetime. Would it really be so heretical to use jasmine or ginseng-"
"It wouldn't be heretical, but matcha is a very deliberate choice for its effects on the human spirit."
"Is it? Or is it just the one we're still drinking because some noble a hundred years ago loved it and just said it was this big spiritual thing."
"Seriously-?"
"I'm just saying there's gotta be a place where they do the ritual with, I don't know, peppermint tea or something-"
"There is. Best not to speak of it."
"Eh-?"
"Hmph. Whatever."
"Wind Release: Stolen Whispers."
"-and of Rice was surprisingly beautiful during my deployment. The leaves shifted all sorts of colors… Ended up fairly routine, in the end."
"No shinobi?"
"Mmm. A few. They fled rather than engage us in combat. No surprise. Their wills are weaker than their combat skills."
"I don't know… I've heard concerning things about the powers of ninjutsu at their command."
"A natural reaction, but those capabilities are rooted in manipulation. They're forced to use trickery and deception due to their inferior body and spirit. They can produce a gout of fire because they lack an internal blaze."
"Mmm. Not what my cousin told me, fire was plenty real, he said."
"It's real, alright. But it's a cheap imitation of the fundamental forces of this world."
"Wouldn't mind being able to shoot fire myself."
"Then take your studies seriously. Are you learning to walk the Blaze Path?"
"Nah, I'm Wave aspected. Maybe someday…"
"Hmph. I'm told I'm Stone, not that I've even started any of that stuff. My Kogashira took one look at me and 'just knew', he said."
"You do give off Stone energy, I must admit."
"Whatever."
"I would take pride in it. My Kogashira tells me that those who walk the Stone Path are those most essential to holding the line for the Land of Iron."
"Wow. Can I join your Kumi?"
"How do you feel about deploying to Waterfall?"
"...ah. I think I have, erm, duties to attend to. Studies, and all."
"Quite."
"Wind Release: Stolen Whispers."
"-glad I didn't have to go with the coastal caravan."
"Hmm. Was that the one delivering the uh- y'know? Documents and such?"
"The…? Oh, the Yak stuff? No clue. Hmm, I think that was heading out soon, so it could've been."
"Mmm. Well, they did send Samurai escorts."
"Pfft. I guess. Maybe the merchants were just feeling antsy with all the rumors of shinobi activity floating around."
"Well, the Clan did just kick the proverbial hornet's nest. It's a reasonable precaution."
"For all their bluster, they wouldn't dare invite true reprisal like that. The whole might of Iron would descend upon them."
"Not so sure, what with the war and all… mobilizing like that isn't easy."
"Regardless. There's enough manpower here in Yamagakyō to flatten any opposition a hundred times over. The Taisho alone would be more than enough, much less his Kumigashira."
"I guess… but they don't tend to present themselves on an open battlefield, y'know?"
"Yes, yes… cowardice and parlor tricks in the shadows. It's difficult even for focused strength to snuff out. But not impossible. It simply hasn't been worth the effort yet. Changing that would be a quick route to annihilation."
"I guess our superiors decided now's a good time to make that change…"
"I suspect it might have something to do with their superiors turning their focus to the war-"
"Hush. It isn't our place to speculate on such things."
"Flattening an ostensibly civilian warehouse is pretty bold. The Fukuda are pissed enough as it is, do we really need to prod them by tearing down their work?"
"It really isn't our place to speculate on such things. The matter is settled. The fruits of the raid are on a caravan or soon will be, and are no longer of consequence to us."
"Seems… optimistic."
"If the situation changes, I'm sure we will be notified. Until then, do your job."
"Hmph."
Hmph, Kenzō agreed.
Kenzō has spent one FP.
The group has successfully reunited without issue. Kenzō took a quick power nap and is groggy but more or less fine and ready to act. He'll need to catch up on sleep eventually though.
What do you do?
[X] Start attacking caravans until you find the documents.
[X] Try and find clues amongst the merchants managing the caravans to determine which one has the documents.
[X] Continue spying on Sakamoto Samurai and see if you can determine the destination, then ambush the caravan.
[X] Write in.
This is the type of plan that really sucks to run live if you didn't prep for it, having to make up a bunch of random conversations that might have some useful info hidden inside is really tough to do on the spot. But it can be fun if you know it's coming, as in this case :^)
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Try and find clues amongst the merchants managing the caravans to determine which one has the documents.
[x] Quickly report back to Tadashi, and tap one of his civilian contacts for help searching the caravans for the documents. Maybe Tadashi knows some of the civilian guards for the caravans, and can bribe them to report on what the caravans are carrying --thus narrowing down the party's search (lowering the effective TN)?
[x] Quickly report back to Tadashi, and tap one of his civilian contacts for help searching the caravans for the documents. Maybe Tadashi knows some of the civilian guards for the caravans, and can bribe them to report on what the caravans are carrying --thus narrowing down the party's search (lowering the effective TN)?
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Just find actual plague victims and do it that way. I'm sure the Yaks won't mind
- Location
- The Soviet Republic of Canuckistan
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yaks might not like the impact that has on their other businesses. If we have something solid (I think we do) we should take it to them. The goal is to optimize outcomes, not our personal heroism, and we might be able to borrow Rokoru for a few hours if we come with a good pitch.
ok, i'll give you $5 to give us 500 XP for this arc
sounds complicated. let's just do violence.
Cariyaga
Handsome Gentleperson
- Location
- United States
That's fair. We'll have to keep that one in the back pocket for later.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Plausibly, though he may not have 100% complete records
Can we just steal these from the merchant office? Is there such a thing in Iron?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That's likely where he would be getting the info from regardless (maybe not a literal office per se but civilian contacts who manage the routes)
Okay so cut out the middleman here.
Do our PCs think it would be easier to burgle or infiltrate such a place? I assume it's under guard day and night...?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
TADASHI: yo why are u stealing info from my guys, u could have just asked me for it
KENZOU: hesitation is the kiss of death
TADASHI: 🗿
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You can probably just go ask for the info directly if you know who to ask