1. "I am a member of the mighty Monkey Clan! Well, mighty for our size, anyways."
2. "I am descended from the great and mighty Toku himself! In a... figurative sense, anyways. Practically speaking, I am descended from one of his many ronin followers in the Clan War, but I remain his descendant in a spiritual sense. Why, he has even appeared before me to give me guidance! It helps that he is alive, of course. I'll never forget the day he came up to me and said, 'good morning.' "
3. "I am a fearless Bushi! Who, ah, has been assigned to the Courts of late, much to my chagrin."
4. "Well, I'm devilishly handsome, fearsomely muscled, impressively - oh, how other people would describe me? Probably 'he's the Monkey samurai with only one arm'. There's only one of those, as far as I'm aware, so it is a pretty good description... but they could at least mention my mustache!"
5. "To remain on active duty as a warrior, and for my name to be told in tales of glory, to inspire the young and the meek everywhere to be bold! If a one-armed samurai of a Minor Clan can stand firm in the face of danger, so can they!"
6. "Toku himself, of course! Well, not that I actually know him per se. Practically speaking, it's probably my friend Bayushi Hisateru. We've had each other's backs through many a troubling tale."
7. "My greatest strength? Well, I'm told that I have very well-developed thighs... but surely it is my boundless enthusiasm for life and adventure! As for weakness, well - I'd be a fool to ignore my missing arm, but truth be told my arm is less of a weakness than the efforts I sometimes go through to act as though it were not gone."
8. "Bushido is what allows us to live our lives honorably, without regret - just take care not to mistake it for your life itself, eh? The best tenet is clearly Courage! The least? What an odd question. Perhaps Honesty? Not that I advocate deceit, mind, but scrupulously sticking to the truth at all times wastes so many opportunities for jokes!"
9. "The Toku are young, we are small, but we have our pride regardless. Best yet, our legends have just begun! My dream is to live in such a way that children years from now will think me their honored ancestor! But... I am concerned about the way in which we express our allegiance to the Imperial Throne. We owe everything to Toturi - but the man once called Hantei Naseru is no true Toturi."
10. "Well, there was someone who was going to take my hand in marriage, a young lady of the Kitsune family, but when I lost the hand she reconsidered. I think the leaders of the Clan are looking for another match for me now. Maybe from a Clan that keeps their oaths better than the Mantis do."
11. "As much as I'd like to say my only gripe against the Mantis is with that young lady I mentioned, I'm a bit concerned at their lack of Contentment in general. Why not simply have remained a Minor Clan? Is there truly such shame in it?"
12. "Toku. Seriously though, this time. My Clan Champion is not only our leader but our founder, and deserves every ounce of respect that I can muster for him."
13. "My favorite things? Well, my friend Hisateru will tell you that at least one of them is terrible jokes, but I disagree. I favor excellent jokes! I am also quite partial to back-scratchers. Some places are just so hard to reach one-handed! My least favorite things? Hmmm. I admit to being biased against heavy rainstorms. They make my scars ache."
14. "I have a tendency to speak often, loudly, and with humor. Other than that... I suppose I have been known to have a hard time staying still."
15. "Sorrow is perhaps the easiest for me to hide. Likewise fear and desire; I find myself unwilling to show such negative emotions on my face. Joy and laughter, on the other hand, are difficult for me to keep bottled up."
16. "Just because I'm a funny guy doesn't mean I'm a pushover! Misbehavior must be corrected sharply and severely - it's the only way for someone to learn from their mistakes."
17. "My parents worried that I was perhaps too soft-hearted for a bushi; not that I had any real choice! To be a Monkey is to serve as Toku did upon the field of battle. Luckily, I believe that I have proven my determination. Perhaps they wish I had not proven it quite so well, as I know that they have encouraged me to seek training in the ways of court."
18. "My highest ambition is to go down in history as Toku did before me. To do great deeds, and to spread the name of the Monkey. We may be a clan poor in lands, but we are rich in fame!"
19. "I strongly idolize the Seven Thunders - all fourteen of them!, and will take any opportunity I can to stop at a temple dedicated to them. They are an inspiration to all living samurai. Their chief virtue is that I can count them all as long as I take off my shoes - not so, with the Fortunes."
20. "With a smile on my lips."
Ok, Secrets of the Empire pg 229. It's minor clan, not monkey specific
Illustrious past
One of your ancestors helped establish one of your clan's original villages. Your family has been caretaker of those lands since that time. Your starting Outfit gains 2 koku and you may take the Gentry Advantage for one less Experience Point.
I'm out and about in the boonies and won't have access to my books until laaaate Sunday evening; is it okay if I finish Shiori's full equipment list then?
I'm out and about in the boonies and won't have access to my books until laaaate Sunday evening; is it okay if I finish Shiori's full equipment list then?
Is anyone aware of what the status of the Isawa Library is in 1165? I know that the library and the castle were burned down in 1128 by Isawa Tsuke, but presumably the clan would have spared no expense trying to rebuild it to it's former glory (or as close to as they could manage).
Though granted, there's only so much work you can get done in ~40 years, compared to how long it stood for before that.
Is anyone aware of what the status of the Isawa Library is in 1165? I know that the library and the castle were burned down in 1128 by Isawa Tsuke, but presumably the clan would have spared no expense trying to rebuild it to it's former glory (or as close to as they could manage).
Though granted, there's only so much work you can get done in ~40 years, compared to how long it stood for before that.
It is repaired sometime between 1138 and 1166. Given its importance to the clan, i'd guess it was essentially returned to full functionality by 1150, with even the Library restocked. Certain documents would have been irrevocably lost in Tsuke's rage.
The Third Edition of L5R, which the timeline goes until 1166, states Kyuden Isawa is the repository of over a thousand years of magical research, and no note of any damage is mentioned.
The Path of Shadows: The first lesson of an infiltrator is to mask all signs of one's true nature. You lose no Honor for use of Low Skills or Ninjutsu Weapons in the service of the Scorpion Clan (subject to GM approval). You gain a bonus of 2k0 to the total of all Stealth Skill rolls.
Strike From Darkness: When attacking an unaware opponent, Raises are not limited to Void and School Rank is added in unkept dice to attack roll. Also, add half School Rank in unkept dice to attack rolls against an opponent suffering from a Condition effect (e.g. Stunned or Fatigued.) These effects do not stack.
Courtier 3: +3 Insight
Etiquette 3: +3 Insight
Iaijutsu 3: Ready a katana as a free action
Kenjutsu 3: Add 1k0 to damage rolls
Stealth 3: Move (Waterx5) as a simple action when using stealth.
Dark Secret (Ninja) [-5]
Compulsion (Daily tea ceremony in honour of sister) [-3]
Driven (Preserve the Empire) [-2]
Born the second child of Shosuro Hitoshi and Shosuro Tsukiko, courtiers in the service of the Shosuro family daimyo, Kanbei grew up the child of privilege. A precocious, curious child, he swiftly attached himself to his elder sister, Kitao. The two children were inseparable, causing mischief throughout Shiro no Shosuro. Their gifts for the traditional arts of the Shosuro family were soon noticed and both were selected for training at the Shosuro Butei Academy, Kitao as an Actor and Kanbei as an Infiltrator.
Here, both flourished, with Kitao even competing in the Topaz Championship, where she managed an exemplary placing right in the middle of the pack. Kanbei's own gempukku was somewhat less distinguished, being merely the traditional Shosuro rite. Both now adults, the siblings were separated by duty, Kitao touring Crane lands with her company, while Kanbei ran his Gauntlet in the lands of the Mantis, before attending courts in the lands of the Lion and the Phoenix. The two still contrived to meet whenever possible, sharing their stories over tea, such as their forthcoming arranged marriages, Kitao to a Kakita artisan and Kanbei to a Bayushi shugenja named Setsuko. Life was good. Then came the Rain of Blood.
Both Kitao and Setsuko were tainted and Kanbei's heart was shattered. From this was born a fierce desire for vengeance and an epiphany- were the Empire stable and strong such calamities could not occur. Therefore it was his duty to make the Empire stable and strong. Only then could his sister and all the others rest easy. And so Kanbei answered his Emperor's call.
Answered IC.
1. WHAT CLAN DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
I am a Scorpion, with all that that implies.
2. WHAT FAMILY DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
I was born into the Shosuro, the unseen blade of the Scorpion Clan.
3. IS YOUR CHARACTER A BUSHI, A SHUGENJA, OR A COURTIER?
I am a blade in the hands of my lord. I am his to wield as he directs, in the shadows or the harsh light of day. I am not a ninja, for such are merely children's tales.
4. HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER'S APPEARANCE?
"Of average height and slender build, black of hair and eye and possessed of all the treacherous beauty of his Clan, despite the faint scar on his left cheek. It gives a roguish cast to his features. His mask is of plain eggshell white and conceals only the upper half of his face. " Such is what a Crane of my acquaintance wrote of me in her pillow book. It is an accurate enough description.
5. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S PRIMARY MOTIVATION?
As a samurai, I am motivated solely by the good of Empire, Clan and lord, in that order. As a man? I dream of a day where the taint of Jigoku is purged and I work tirelessly towards this end. These motivations have yet to clash. I pray they never do.
6. WHO IS THE PERSON YOUR CHARACTER TRUSTS MOST IN THE WORLD?
I trust my lord to spend my life wisely, my sensei to prepare me properly for service and my comrades to be competent. I suppose the nearest I come to trusting another with my secrets is my parents.
7. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS?
I am very much a stereotypical Scorpion in my talents. Which is to say that it is difficult know what I am truly thinking and that I have far more skill in things deemed beneath my station than any true samurai would ever countenance. As for weaknesses? My devotion to the memory of my sister and my hatred for Jigoku and all it spawns are exactly the sort of thing I am trained to exploit.
8. WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK OF BUSHIDO?
A beautiful, impossible ideal. I wish the world allowed me to live by it. As it is, I hold tightly to Duty, for it it the anchor of my being, and I will confess to cherishing a soft spot for Sincerity. Whatever I do, I strive to do with all I am.
9. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S OPINION OF HIS CLAN?
A complex question. Were I given to self-pity and melodrama, I would say that we are the most tragic and selfless heroes in all of Rokugan. In truth, I think we might be the most free of any clan. For while Duty binds us tighter than any other, we are unrestrained by any other bond. This is why we can do what is necessary, when all others turn away. And I cannot say there is no joy in being the Empire's villain.
10. IS YOUR CHARACTER MARRIED?
No. I was engaged, once, but she died during the Rain of Blood. Another reason to hate, I suppose, as though I needed it.
11. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?
I suppose I share the views of my clanmates on those of other clans.
12. TO WHOM DOES YOUR CHARACTER OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?
A true samurai would answer his lord or his Clan, a truly honest one might perhaps name a family member. My answer is different for it is not whom, but what. The Emerald Empire itself. There is nothing I would not do to preserve it, no other loyalty I would not break in its service. The answer of a true Scorpion, perhaps.
13. WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER'S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
I greatly enjoy intellectual, courtly pleasures. Music, poetry, tea, Go and so on. I have little skill with them, but I strive. Despite this, I have come to despise the theatre, for reasons that are... deeply personal.
14. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?
I have had occasion to pretend to have such. In reality, I strive to avoid them, as they are a highly exploitable weakness.
15. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER'S EMOTIONS?
I pride myself that they are difficult to read, as becomes one who serves as I do. For all that, they exist, and strongly, like a fast-flowing underground river.
16. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE A SUBORDINATE'S IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?
That would depend on both the subordinate and the improper behaviour. In all cases, I would make note of it. Beyond that? Appropriate punishment would be meted out, be that a private or public dressing down, extra duties, running the Gauntlet or seppuku.
17. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER'S PARENTS DESCRIBE HIM?
They would say that I am a talented and diligent servant of the Scorpion Clan, albeit one who needs to marry and could perhaps stand to show a little more ambition. I think that they are in the main proud of me and I know that they worry. In this, they are wise.
18. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S HIGHEST AMBITION?
If I am to answer honestly? To see the complete destruction of the taint of the Maho and the Shadowlands.
19. HOW RELIGIOUS IS YOUR CHARACTER?
Hmm. I am more a Fortunist than a follower of the Tao of Shinsei, but my dedication to both is perhaps... less than it could be.
20. HOW WILL YOUR CHARACTER DIE?
In all likelihood, I shall die by seppuku, unmourned and unremarked.
Light Armour
Sturdy Black Clothing
2 Kimono
Daisho
Tanto
Travelling Pack (Spare Kimono and Sandals, Ink Brush Kit, Flint and Tinder, Personal Chop, Grapple Hook, 50' Rope, Tea Set, Miniature Go Set, Biwa, Small Hand Mirror)
1 Finger of Jade
7 Koku, 3 Bu
Initiative: 5k3
ATN: 20 (+5 in armour)
Attack Roll (Katana): 6k3 (8k3 against unaware opponent, 7k3 against opponent under condition effect)
Damage Roll (Katana): 6k2
Shadowed Heart [Mental] (5 Points)
You have trained your mind to be nigh-inscrutable to those who surround you. Rolls made to discern your true intentions or motivations, including Social Skill rolls and Spell Casting Roll for any spells which might lay bare your thoughts, have their TN increased by +5.
Background:
My Father, Akodo Sato is a renowned instructor of his school and I was happy to one day become great under his tutelage. Then in the year 1156 I was sent to study in the Isawa school. It was part of an alliance and part of some karmic balancing happening in the universe that even now I do not fully understand. I was traded for Isawa Arata, son of Isawa Shou.
Isawa Shou is a great instructor in the Isawa School, as such the trade he and my father made was fitting and balanced. I at first resented my training, I was a lion among pretty birds. I wanted to fight, I wanted a blade I wanted to one day become a warrior of greatness and strength.
My instructor Isawa Shou was patient and wise though. He made me take a training blade up against him as he held his own. "Show me your strength little lion and I shall show you mine". I expected to face great fires and tidal waves, thunders and stones. No, he simply kicked me in the head until I gave in. Truly a great man who understands how to make a young man of the lion listen.
After that I listened and studied hard, he had showed he was a warrior. He told me stories of battles won, armies saved, honor gained by the Shugenja, how they could be a force worth a hundred on the battle field. At night he showed me the basics of swordsman ship, even going so far as to have a few scrolls sent from my father. It was far above his required duties and I know I will owe him till the end of my days.
In 1158 my world changed a little bit and I didn't really realize why at the time. I was ignored by many of my instructors, glared at by passing bushi. Not mistreated obviously but my life was made miserable in a million little ways. I was treated as an outsider, ignored by all sans my sensi. He kept training me, but now it was different now it was with fire, it was a flaming blade it was to be a weapon, a fighter, not a samurai but not truly just a Shugenja either. He called me a lion with wings.
As the war slowed, I was to be sent back to my family. Officially I am a graduate of my school but I feel I have so much left to learn. It was on my way back that I crossed Isawa Arata for the first time. He demanded I duel him, to see who had truly learned more. He needed to test himself to see if he would of learned more from his own father. He called me a thief that it is him not I that should have the right to call upon the spirits. He said I stole his father and what should of been his legacy. His father and him had apparently conversed unlike my father and I.
He received a few burns for his troubles and I fairly nasty cut that finally healed. It was to first blood, but there was no clear winner. I feel that I will see him again.
My father was displeased with my return, he had expected me to die doing some damage to the phoenix when the war was declared. He expected me to have died killing someone of great value. Does he not understand, how out numbered I was, how even if I had wanted to I could of never won any fight there? He had expected me to die for the clan like so many others had died when that war was declared. He felt I turned my back on the clan that others died while I got to live for being a pet student. His attitude spread and I was quickly all but officially told leave and do not return without honor having been won.
Mastery Meditation RANK 3: A successful Meditation Skill Roll restores up
to 2 Void Points
Kenjutsu RANK 3: The total of all damage rolls made with a
sword is increased by 1k0.
Sense:
Commune:
Summon:
KATANA OF FIRE
c Ring/Mastery: Fire 1 (Battle, Craft)
c Range: Personal or 20' (see below)
c Area of Effect: One created weapon
c Duration: 5 minutes
c Raises: Damage (+1k0), Duration (+5 minutes), Range
(+5 feet)
You summon a blade of pure fi re, blazing like the soul of an
honorable warrior. The weapon's default form is a katana,
but one Raise can change its form to any other sword of your
choosing. The katana has a DR of 2k2. When wielding this
weapon, you may use your School Rank in place of your Kenjutsu
Skill if you wish. If you do possess the Kenjutsu Skill,
you add your Honor Rank to all damage rolls made with this
weapon. The katana of fi re disappears if it is lost from your
hand. Instead of summoning the katana for yourself, you may
cause it to appear in the hands of an ally within 20 feet. He is
treated as the caster for all purposes of the spell, but does not
gain the Honor boost to damage.
FIRES OF PURITY
c Ring/Mastery: Fire 1 (Defense)
c Range: 25'
c Area of Effect: One target
c Duration: 1 minute
c Raises: Damage (+1k0 per two
Raises)
This spell, one of the few directly
protective prayers involving
the Fire kami, asks the kami to
protect one person, enveloping
the target in a shroud of bright
fl ames. Neither the target nor anything
he carries takes damage from
the spell, but anyone who comes into
contact with him or strikes him with a
melee attack takes 2k2 Wounds. Anyone the
target strikes in melee with an unarmed attack
or a weapon he carried when the spell was cast also
takes an extra 2k2 Wounds. Anything the target puts
down, however, cannot be picked back up without
subjecting it to the damage from the spell.
Ranged weapons such as arrows bypass this
barrier of fi re, dealing Wounds as normal.
TAIL OF THE FIRE DRAGON
c Ring/Mastery: Fire 2
c Range: Personal
c Area of Effect: Self
c Duration: 4 rounds
c Raises: Duration (+1 round)
This spell invokes several Fire kami to form a whip-like
tendril that extends from the caster's hand. The tendril of
fl ame will not burn you, since the kami are grateful for the
opportunity to burn others at your command. You may use
this tendril to strike enemies as far as 30' away, extending it
out and back with blinding speed. Your attack roll with the
tendril is equal to your Agility + (twice your School Rank),
keeping your Agility. The tendril has a DR equal to your
Fire Ring.:
PATH TO INNER PEACE
c Ring/Mastery: Water 1
c Range: Touch
c Area of Effect: One target individual
c Duration: Instantaneous
c Raises: None
The water kami can infl uence the fl ow of water through the
body, dramatically hastening the natural healing process. You
can use this spell to heal Wounds that another individual has
suffered. This spell restores a number of Wounds to the target
equal to the amount by which the Spell Casting Roll exceeded
the spell's TN to cast
ARMOR OF EARTH
c Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 (Battle, Defense)
c Range: Personal
c Area of Effect: Self
c Duration: 10 rounds
c Raises: Duration (+2 rounds)
This spell infuses the caster's body with the strength of Earth,
weakening the force of any physical or magical attack which
strikes him. For the duration of the spell, you gain Reduction
in an amount equal to your Earth Ring + School Rank.
However, this infusion of Earth slows your movements – your
Water is considered 1 Rank lower for purposes of movement
while you are under the effects of this spell
JADE STRIKE
c Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 (Jade, Thunder)
c Range: 100'
c Area of Effect: One target
c Duration: Instantaneous
c Raises: Damage (+1k0), Range (+10'), Targets (+1 target,
maximum of 5 total targets)
This spell summons forth the purest of Earth kami, those of
jade, in the form of a blast of iridescent green energy. The
jade power fl ies out and unerringly strikes the chosen target
– it cannot be intercepted or defl ected, although Magic
Resistance or other forms of magical defense can thwart it.
If the target has at least one Rank of Taint, the Jade Strike
will infl ict damage with a DR of 3k3, burning and blackening
the Tainted fl esh. However, a target who does not have at
least a full Rank of Taint will not suffer any damage from the
spell. Casting Jade Strike on a non-Tainted target is generally
regarded as a grave insult – except perhaps among the more
paranoid ranks of the Kuni family, where it is seen as merely
a sensible precaution.
BLESSED WIND
c Ring/Mastery: Air 1 (Defense)
c Range: Personal
c Area of Effect: 10' radius around the caster
c Duration: Concentration
c Raises: Special (you may target another with this spell
with 3 Raises)
You summon a swirling aura of winds to protect you from
ranged attacks. The buffeting winds defl ect arrows and other
projectiles. While you maintain your concentration, this spell
adds +15 to your Armor TN versus all non-magical ranged
attacks.
40+20+10-12=58
Intelligence 4=16
Agility 4=16
Skills:21
Left Over Exp5
1)Lion
2)Akodo
3)Shugenja
4) A tall relaxed Young man who wears his hair loosely
5)Becoming honored enough to rejoin his Clan
6)Isawa Shou
7) His Greatest Strength is his Mind, His greatest weakness is that he thinks his greatest strength is his sword.
8)Bushido, Is a simple truth, one that should be striven for highly the world would be better if people were more sincere about it
9) He wishes he knew his clan better, he thinks them great, but he realizes that is partially his hope that he will one day be welcome and then they will be great.
10) No
11) He has developed no prejudices being to conflicted between his clans to think greatly on others.
12) Either his father or his teacher,he knows not the answer to this question and that is part of his journey.
13) He loves cooking over a wild fire in the wilderness free on a quiet night. His least favorite thing is court life, with lies and boredom.
14) He has a tendency to rub his hands together when excited. He always blinks when he meets new people as if he is stealing there image away for later.
15) Anger is the emotion he shows most easily, in battle fury becomes his tool as he calls upon true fire most easily. However Love would strike him harder if found.
16) He would do as his teacher did to him. He would teach a hard, firm, but necessary lesson seeking to be understood in whatever manner was needed.
17)His mother idealistic would call him a great success of inter-clan politics and a lovely young man. His father would changed the subject.
18) To one day be a champion of war that even the emperor acknowledges.
19) He is religious in a casual way of a man who has accepted faith as truth, he speaks with the Kami and frequently ask them how he can worship them best.
20) When he dies, it will be in battle surrounded by flame and death. He will rejoin the universe as part of the wheel ever seeking growth and new beginnings.
