1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

It also raises the question - since the argument for a verdict of natural death is "the stability of the empire", has someone told Hotaru? Because "I've been told what happened by the Ruby Champion and I'm trying to avoid anyone hearing the word 'Kolat' in connection with the death" is potentially as valid a reason for being stand-offish of anyone questioning the magistrate's findings as the oft-rumoured "I'm too busy making nicey-nicey with Kachiko".

One of the reasons why the Ruby Champion uses newly appointed Magistrates with no experience (the PCs) is because that way she can keep their report or dismiss it:

Agasha Sumiko claims she chose them for this mission because they have no connections to anyone in the castle and thus can approach the task without prejudice. Secretly, she thinks their inexperience serves as a boon for her; if they uncover something she doesn’t want them to find, then whatever the PCs report can be easily dismissed or totally embraced, depending on its suitability for her purposes.

So, she could very well be hiding it from Hotaru. Also, don’t forget this is a RPG, and a lot of what happens depends on the PCs decision. And they’re actually given the option of lying to Sumiko and not mention Kolat at all. Some parties will make it, some won’t. So there’s no way to tell if the Kolat implication being known is canon or not.

25 minutes ago, Tabris2k said:

One of the reasons why the Ruby Champion uses newly appointed Magistrates with no experience (the PCs) is because that way she can keep their report or dismiss it:

Agasha Sum- iko claims she chose them for this mission because they have no connections to anyone in the castle and thus can approach the task without prejudice. Secretly, she thinks their inexperience serves as a boon for her; if they uncover something she doesn’t want them to find, then whatever the PCs report can be easily dismissed or totally embraced, depending on its suitability for her purposes.

So, she could very well be hiding it to Hotaru. Also, don’t forget this is a RPG, and a lot of what happens depends on the PCs decision. And they’re actually given the option of lying to Sumiko and not mention Kolat at all. Some parties will make it, some won’t. So there’s no way to tell if the Kolat implication being known is canon or not.

Indeed. I think we can probably assume the Ruby Champion does either know or suspect the truth, though; because her very actions imply at least a strong suspicion she won't like the answers the investigation will turn up....

......Which, depending on how much she was told about Satsume's thoughts and supposed plans by the magistrates in any given player's universe, may make Wildcats and Dragon's Teeth take on a different aspect: if she was in that courtyard with Sotorii aware that the Emerald Champion thought he was unfit to rule and was advising "his friend and peer" in the capital of ways to preserve the empire without putting either of them on the throne...

12 hours ago, Schmoozies said:

Actually Mantis would make a great front for the Kolat and are in many ways the embodiment of the ideal (so wish they had explored that more in the old game) so the two could end up going hand in hand

Allegations of criminal activity and collaboration with insurgent activists... That's some self-incriminating evidence my friend

1 hour ago, Tabris2k said:

One of the reasons why the Ruby Champion uses newly appointed Magistrates with no experience (the PCs) is because that way she can keep their report or dismiss it:

Agasha Sumiko claims she chose them for this mission because they have no connections to anyone in the castle and thus can approach the task without prejudice. Secretly, she thinks their inexperience serves as a boon for her; if they uncover something she doesn’t want them to find, then whatever the PCs report can be easily dismissed or totally embraced, depending on its suitability for her purposes.

So, she could very well be hiding it from Hotaru. Also, don’t forget this is a RPG, and a lot of what happens depends on the PCs decision. And they’re actually given the option of lying to Sumiko and not mention Kolat at all. Some parties will make it, some won’t. So there’s no way to tell if the Kolat implication being known is canon or not.

Would be cool IMO if some RPG event in the future decided the canon outcome of the story.

I read through the story mostly and I like how the Kolat is being written here so no complaints from me on their return.

2 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Exactly. They don't have to be super-duper-know-everything-brainwashing-illuminate, but basically just an organised bunch of anarchists.

Or maybe like a mafia group that has gotten powerful enough that, despite being known about, they are difficult to eliminate due to their connections and sheer size of the task. Some samurai would know about them, but it would be dishonorable to say the law was incapable of dealing with them.

2 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

It also raises the question - since the argument for a verdict of natural death is "the stability of the empire", has someone told Hotaru? Because "I've been told what happened by the Ruby Champion and I'm trying to avoid anyone hearing the word 'Kolat' in connection with the death" is potentially as valid a reason for being stand-offish of anyone questioning the magistrate's findings as the oft-rumoured "I'm too busy making nicey-nicey with Kachiko".

It is very likely Hotaru hasn’t been told the whole story, if at all. Again in “A Crane Takes Flight” she internally wonders if Kachiko could have done it in her behalf. So either she suspects Kachiko has Kolat conections and doesn’t even want to think about it, or she doesn’t know the Kolat were responsible.

32 minutes ago, Doji Tori said:

Again in “A Crane Takes Flight” she internally wonders if Kachiko could have done it in her behalf. So either she suspects Kachiko has Kolat conections and doesn’t even want to think about it, or she doesn’t know the Kolat were responsible.

i may be wrong but i don't think there is any indication/mention of Kolat's existence in any of the fiction installments we got so far. The only "organization" aiming to destabilize the current government so far has been the PLS (who may very well be either part of the kolat or just a channel for recruitment),

2 minutes ago, mirrorcat said:

i may be wrong but i don't think there is any indication/mention of Kolat's existence in any of the fiction installments we got so far. The only "organization" aiming to destabilize the current government so far has been the PLS (who may very well be either part of the kolat or just a channel for recruitment),

I’m too quite certain this adventure is the first time the Kolat have been mentioned or involved in the plot in this continuity.

1 hour ago, mirrorcat said:

i may be wrong but i don't think there is any indication/mention of Kolat's existence in any of the fiction installments we got so far. The only "organization" aiming to destabilize the current government so far has been the PLS (who may very well be either part of the kolat or just a channel for recruitment),

There have been hints of a secret group messing with everyone for some purpose. Someone hired Ronin to capture Kuwanan and then get Tsuko to kill him.

1 hour ago, Ultimatecalibur said:

There have been hints of a secret group messing with everyone for some purpose. Someone hired Ronin to capture Kuwanan and then get Tsuko to kill him.

I mean, could there have been Kolat involvement there? Sure. But, I think that was just the Ikoma. Sneaky Lions...

5 minutes ago, Kaito Kikaze said:

I mean, could there have been Kolat involvement there? Sure. But, I think that was just the Ikoma. Sneaky Lions...

Why not both?

Yeah, but not Ikoma. The name you're thinking of is Akodo Kage.

1 minute ago, Manchu said:

Yeah, but not Ikoma. The name your thinking of is Akodo Kage.

How could you disparage the great sensei like that.

Given that Satsume was involved with the Kolat, I wonder if Kage groomed Toturi for the position of Emerald Champion specifically with an eye to replacing Satsume.

6 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Interesting that the Scorpion see Kachiko as compromised by Hotaru , rather than the other way around.

When Hotaru contemplates if Kachiko killed her father the likely scenario she comes up with is that Kachiko went yandere and did it as a 'favor' to Hotaru. So their relationship in Hotaru's mind is strong enough that Kachiko would fairly casually kill the Emerald Champion for her.

4 minutes ago, Manchu said:

Given that Satsume was involved with the Kolat, I wonder if Kage groomed Toturi for the position of Emerald Champion specifically with an eye to replacing Satsume.

Heresy, Kage would never dream of doing something so shameful (I mainly say because making Kage a Kolat again reeks of lazy and far too obvious storytelling and more interesting would be to have the "hidden master" be a completely different character like Ide Tadaji or Kakita Yoshi)

7 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Interesting that the Scorpion see Kachiko as compromised by Hotaru , rather than the other way around.

They're both compromised in the eyes of their Clan.

1 minute ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

They're both compromised in the eyes of their Clan.

It also may come down to level of knowledge, Scorpion know how deep their relationship goes while the Crane may not be as aware.

3 hours ago, Ultimatecalibur said:

There have been hints of a secret group messing with everyone for some purpose. Someone hired Ronin to capture Kuwanan and then get Tsuko to kill him.

1 hour ago, Manchu said:

Given that Satsume was involved with the Kolat, I wonder if Kage groomed Toturi for the position of Emerald Champion specifically with an eye to replacing Satsume.

Quote

- who was spying on Toturi during his visit at Toshi Ranbo?
- who released the Djinn in Phoenix territory?
- how did those Lost enter Crab domain undetected TWICE ?

- How dd the Naga learn the common language with near perfect pronunciation despite clamiming to have never encountered other human before?

- who has been secretly eating all of the freshly baked pastries in the imperial palace every morning?

-etc

to be completely honest, i'm not too fond of the idea of claiming that the kolat is behind every unexplained occurrence when we could just as easily blame it on the mantis instead !

Another point to note is that one of the possible 'reports' that is mentioned is "Satsume was a member of the Kolat, and a different cell killed him". That implies things about the Kolat that are notably different from the way it was presented at this point in the timeline last time around.

19 hours ago, mirrorcat said:

to be completely honest, i'm not too fond of the idea of claiming that the kolat is behind every unexplained occurrence when we could just as easily blame it on the mantis instead !

As if we would stoop so low as to sully our good names with such petty machinations, oh my kami what's that over there (runs off with all the freshly baked pastries).

1 hour ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Another point to note is that one of the possible 'reports' that is mentioned is "Satsume was a member of the Kolat, and a different cell killed him". That implies things about the Kolat that are notably different from the way it was presented at this point in the timeline last time around.

Yeah, the implication I got was that “Kolat” is a catch-all term for those that don’t accept divine right-of-rule. So it doesn’t have the spiritual connotations of the PLS, and could cover people like, say purely hypothetically, an Ikoma who doesn’t think that the Akodo should lead the Lion by dint of inheritance and that it’s time another family stepped up.

4 hours ago, Manchu said:

Yeah, but not Ikoma. The name you're thinking of is Akodo Kage.

Bah, too obvious. Kage's literally the worst-kept secret in the universe for old grognards, and totally meaningless to new readers. Could be anyone at this point.

And the Ikoma have been making enough weasely maneuvers to make us suspect them.

MUCH LIKE THE SCORPION.

AND THE IDE'S APPARENT INCOMPETENCE IS ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN!

AND ISAWA TSUKE IS IN ON IT.

AND TOGASHI SENT HITOMI AND MITSU AWAY TO GET THEIR STINKING KOLAT-Y-NESS OUT OF HIS LAND.

HOTARU'S CLEARLY IN THE CONSPIRACY, HENCE HER WONDERING IF KACHIKO DID HER A FAVOR.

AND FORGET YASUKI TAKA, WE ALL KNOW THAT KISADA IS SECRETLY A KOLAT MASTER!

9 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

Bah, too obvious. Kage's literally the worst-kept secret in the universe for old grognards, and totally meaningless to new readers. Could be anyone at this point.

And the Ikoma have been making enough weasely maneuvers to make us suspect them.

MUCH LIKE THE SCORPION.

AND THE IDE'S APPARENT INCOMPETENCE IS ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN!

AND ISAWA TSUKE IS IN ON IT.

AND TOGASHI SENT HITOMI AND MITSU AWAY TO GET THEIR STINKING KOLAT-Y-NESS OUT OF HIS LAND.

HOTARU'S CLEARLY IN THE CONSPIRACY, HENCE HER WONDERING IF KACHIKO DID HER A FAVOR.

AND FORGET YASUKI TAKA, WE ALL KNOW THAT KISADA IS SECRETLY A KOLAT MASTER!

Crab solution: kill them all.

It's better to be certain...

20 hours ago, Doji Tori said:

It is very likely Hotaru hasn’t been told the whole story, if at all. Again in “A Crane Takes Flight” she internally wonders if Kachiko could have done it in her behalf. So either she suspects Kachiko has Kolat conections and doesn’t even want to think about it, or she doesn’t know the Kolat were responsible.

If she was told anything, I mean at a level of "the magistrates have returned a verdict of 'natural causes' for the good of the empire". That could mean a whole load of things for her to speculate on in private without being able to air them publically without undermining something implied to be a political crucial secret - either some shocking detail of the investigation would dishonour her father (so badly it would splash on the crane and the emerald magistrature? How?), or there was something equally shocking about the murderer (maybe they were the imperial advisor?) or the method (natural causes means 'no evidence it wasn't' - something of unknown and untraceable capability....there's this scandal about the unknown magical secrets of the Unicorn that the Emperor has suddenly commanded them to teach to the Seppun....)

12 hours ago, Doji Hyōkin said:

Yeah, the implication I got was that “Kolat” is a catch-all term for those that don’t accept divine right-of-rule. So it doesn’t have the spiritual connotations of the PLS, and could cover people like, say purely hypothetically, an Ikoma who doesn’t think that the Akodo should lead the Lion by dint of inheritance and that it’s time another family stepped up.

Well, from the outside, it's not like a samurai is going to appreciate - or care about - the distinction between 'proper kolat' and 'person who just has heretical views and wants to bring down the divine emperor'. As noted, if known about, it may just be (to them) a convenient label for 'anti-celestial-order-anarchists'.