Yeah, that is a MAJOR shoe dropping. Like Khrushchev banging his loafer on the podium level. ****. How much do they share from their discoveries way back in the second adventure?

Since it has been used a few times, the pedant in me can't hold back any more:

The word you want is "discreet", not "discrete". You're not talking about mathematics, after all 😅

(And while I'm at it: "cue", not "queue")

I continue to very much enjoy reading about the misfortunes that befall your players and the political conundrums that they end up in. I also agree with neilcell on just how much of a shoe-drop that was xD

• This prompted a fairly vocal out-of-character discussion. Normally more than I'd allow - Daisetsu is stood right there and there's only so much meaningful glances can convey, but this was a rather important moment.
• Highlights as follows:
• " What the heck?"
• "What do we say?"
• "Why are you asking me ? "
• At this point Suiren started singing the " I'm not there, I'm not there, I'm not there.... " song. This is a bit of a tradition in our group when the party has split up and one group has walked into a really awkward situation and/or announced a really stupid plan. This was not well received.
• " So...What? We tell him?"
• "We cant . He's a young teenage Prince who's been raised on tales of heroes saving the day, many of whom he's directly related to."
• "And?"
• "The Kolat are serious. They have absolutely no problem murdering the heck out of anyone who gets in their way, and we think they have at least one agent-in-place of similar standing to the Emerald Champion. Do you want him and his scorpion buddy forming a 'Scooby Doo mystery gang' and looking for clues? What do you think his life expectancy is if he does that? "
• " Well, we can't exactly just lie to him. He knows something already, not to mention that he's an Imperial Prince and I'm a Dragon. If I tell him a direct lie I lose so much honour I think my sword spontaneously jumps out of its scabard and disembowels me ."
• The magistrates - specifically Horonigai - ended up answering the " who are the Kolat? " fairly honestly, if talking in the abstract, on the assumption that was a question he could get answered elsewhere if they refused to answer, but him asking the wrong person could have horrible consequences.
• Daisetsu took it fairly well. Anyone who's listened to story's featuring the Shadowlands and the War Against Fu Leng knows Taint can corrupt a person and turn them evil but the idea that an uncorrupted person might sit down and calmly decide " you know, the entire Hantei dynasty really needs to die ..." is a big ask to accept for a born Prince.
• Without the PCs knowing, just over a year has passed since Sotorii and Dairu's duel, and Daisetsu has heard rumours in the last few days about his father taking Sotorii to task about the theft of the netsuke, so Daisetsu's perception of the ' innate moral and spiritual superiority of the Hantei dynasty ' is perhaps a bit threadbare at the moment.
• The second part of the question was far more of an issue. They were stuck between not lying to a Prince of the Realm, and not undermining their Lord's testimony to the Emperor. This wasn't helped by them not knowing exactly what Daisetsu knew already - since he'd pointedly known to ask them , it was a fair bet it wasn't just an out of context word.
• Horonigai eventually settled on an approach of " all of this is true " and hoping no-one noticed it wasn't the whole truth: she didn't know what Champion Sumiko and the Emperor had discussed. The PCs had been part of an investigation into Satsume's death, which had returned a verdict of natural causes. During the investigation, a Kolat agent within the Emerald Fortress had been uncovered, resulting in an attempt on the life of the Ruby Champion herself (Sumiko had never actually forbidden them to talk about the attempt to kill her, just Satsume's murder).
• Obviously, Sumiko had survived, sadly the would-be assassin hadn't. Lacking any clue where he had come from, this was being kept strictly secret and the PCs really, really needed Daisetsu's help in this. One wrong whisper between trusted friends overheard by a third party, and either the Kolat would vanish or the people looking for them would.
• It took a hard sentiment check to persuade the Prince to play along. Fortunately Horonigai has the benefit of the Phoenix's relative indifference to Sincerity , a good sentiment rank and Famously Honest - an advantage which ironically is very useful when lying!
• They ended up having to promise to keep the Prince 'informed' - something unanimously agreed to mean telling him the names of Kolat suspects after they were safely dead.
• Matters were left with Daisetsu not exactly a 'friend' or 'ally' like Ishikawa but at least a potentially useful contact - if one could actually arrange to speak to him.
• The PCs took the opportunity to exit stage (well, greenhouse) left, with the Seppun captain glaring at them for daring to be closer to the Prince than him whilst armed with anything more dangerous than a fruit peeler.
• There was a general sense of 'thank heavens that's over' - not, of course, that it had actually happened, officially speaking.
• This led to a slightly comic moment later, when Kakita Riku, who much like the PCs has a NEVER TRUST THE SCORPION CLAN EVER reflex, asked Goriate what Bayushi Dairu (who had been their nominal host!) had wanted, and it took a while for Goriate to realise what she was talking about...

• With that, Uiri went to talk to the various match-makers: hardly a pleasant experience but less stressful than the one he'd just left.
• The overall impression was that it wasn't going well. They'd produced a decent list of unattached young samurai but whilst, for example, Horonigai's daimyo Kaito Kosori, or the newly-minted Kitsu Tsubasa were available and politically connected, it was unlikely they'd consider marrying into the Dragon. Tsume Itsuyo would be highly unlikely to consider changing clan again, and no-one wanted to use the word 'Betrothal' around any immediate relative of either the Unicorn champion or Ikoma daimyo.
• Match-makers being what they are, they were mostly thinking in terms of securing either political alliances or dowry, rather than 'we need warm bodies'. The former flawed assumption wasn't being helped by Uiri's alienation from his immediate family , and the latter by his rumoured financial problems .
• Yes, a marriage contract with someone important could include a stipulation that children followed the Dragon parent but that would be a tough sell, a drawn-out negotiation and, as Uiri's player put it " that's a solution for a couple of decades, not for now ."
• By comparison, Lion, Phoenix and Unicorn samurai more likely to accept marrying in to the Dragon were somewhat thinner on the ground.
• The first name on the list, as it happens, was Ikoma Rumiko.
• " Can we leave the trained assassin only on nothing beyond the 'maybe' pile for the moment? " - Uiri's player.
• The best two prospects were a pair of Unicorn samurai - Shinjo Takuya, son of a wealthy samurai from the northwest plains, and Iuchi Shahai, youngest child of the Iuchi family daimyo. He instructed the match-makers to open discussions with the Unicorn about both parties.
• It's worth noting at this point that of my players, only Goriate's player reads the FFG L5R fiction regularly. Horonigai's player does occasionally but obviously the name failed to twig. Goriate's player on the other hand may have been drinking at the time and all credit to him for (1) maintaining separation of player and character knowledge and (2) suppressing an impressive coughing fit after about half a glass went down the wrong way.

• He has not elaborated further to the other players. I suspect he sees this as an opportunity for some minor revenge on Uiri after all the enjoyment the latter derived from watching with his betrothal to Riku unfold...

• Talking of Riku, she'd been investigating Doji Torikago whilst the PCs met 'Dairu'. Apparently he'd had only one serious rival for his posting to the Palace: Daidoji Oda. Interestingly, Oda wasn't Crane by birth but by marriage, originally being a graduate of the Ikoma bard's school. Rumour had it he felt that he's never been truly accepted by the Crane and he was denied the position for his lack of 'proper' Crane blood, not because Torikago was the better poet.
• This warranted a closer look, which - after a bit of debate - was agreed to include a bit of light breaking and entering by Shosuro Suiren to search Oda's rooms. Fortunately, it was known that everyone who was anyone - specifically including Oda - was heading to the lake for the Poetry competition, so the Scorpion should have a fairly clear run.

5 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

so the Scorpion should have a fairly clear run.

Oh no.....

3 hours ago, Hydraxus said:

Oh no.....

" WhAt cOuLd PoSsiBlY gO wRonG! " 🤪

• For once, things actually went to script. Thanks to his appointment as one of Miya Satoshi's runners, Suiren was able to enter the guest quarters to speak to one of the Crane attendants organising the excursion to the town the following day, meaning not having to get past the rather impressive perimeter security the hard way. Once inside, he spent long enough talking to the Crane to corroborate his story, then after leaving took a quiet shortcut down the side of the building to Oda's quarters, making up the difference in time so to someone comparing his movements he 'wouldn't have had time' to do so.
• Searching the room both thoroughly and quietly wasn't easy, but fortunately Oda wasn't a permanent resident at Kyuden Doji and hadn't brought furniture with him, so whilst the letters might be hidden a secret compartment was unlikely...

• Meanwhile, at the lakeside, the preparations for the Poetry competition began. Goriate assisted with the Labour check whilst Horonigai made the Performance check to join Takako in the blessing dance. She did roll enough opportunities to get the importune invocation effect, but chose instead to use them to burn off strife - not entirely unreasonable given court so far.
• The competition shaped up as follows:
• Ikoma Rumiko
• Doji Chiyoe
• Magami
• Doji Toritaka
• Daidoji Oda
• Kakita Shiko
• Daidoji Eiakasu (With Hida Goriate acting as scribe given the latter's ruined hand)

• Goriate did reasonably well on the first round - with Earth 4, Composition 2 it's not surprising - and Eiakasu started off in the lead, but it unsurprisingly went downhill from there as he was forced to use all his other rings for once. I genuinely think it may be the first time he's rolled a void check (maybe in the Yume-do sequence in the Komori's cave?). He tanked his charm and refine approaches, but rolled well enough on invent to be joint third before the final roll
• The other players were mostly busy cursing as Doji Torikago failed roll after roll, not getting a single point of momentum. By the time the competition was half done, it became clear that he was the person being blackmailed, and it was painfully obvious what he was being forced to do.
• It ultimately came down to the final roll - Goriate has only a void ring of 2 (the increase only bought as a prerequisite for buying earth 4) but decided to throw a void point into it for seize the moment, and captured Eiakasu's cadence perfectly with a string of chained explosive successes, somehow pushing past Magami and Chiyoe to help land the crippled young poet in first place.
• He's not getting much glory or the Winter Court Champion title out of it - though he will get another shot at the latter in the Sumai (provided his uncle doesn't get his hands on him!), since Eiakasu won, not him. But he will pick up a lot of honour for compassion.
• Everyone was very supportive and impressed with Goriate, and Eiakasu thanked him and promised to repay him if he could, before he, Magami and Chiyoe were whisked off to Satoshi's after-party, with Horonigai and Goriate following behind. Daidoji Gombei congratulated his son before leaving abruptly, looking far less happy than he should do given Eiakasu's performance.
• After the crowd had gone to talk to the winners, Surien finally turned up and - rather too late - produced a bundle of papers from his sleeve, and untied a silk ribbon holding them curled up, returning the distraught Doji Torikago's letters to him. He confirmed it looked like Oda had been behind things.
• Kakita Shiko was thankful, but after Doji Torikago's dismal performance, he would probably be quietly removed from his post. At least Eiakasu's performance had meant Daidoji Oda was unlikely to take it instead...
• ...After the two lovers had left, Suiren went to talk to the other competitor. Rumiko hadn't done especially well, even if it was generally agreed she'd done at least as well as Daidoji Oda. Purely as a matter of artistic curiosity, they were both originally graduates of the same school, weren't they?
• " Oh - I found this ." He said, offering the Lion the orange silk ribbon. " I think you must have dropped it in the gardens; it looks like part of your costume ." She bowed and thanked him, pocketing the ribbon.

• Uiri was about to head back to the Dragon guest-house when he was shortstopped by one of Satoshi's flunkys. There was an urgent matter needing his attention.
• " Of course there is. What's happened? "
• It turned out he was being volunteered to act as witness and referee for a duel to first blood.
• " I'm...sorry? Why? What? Why me? "
• It turned out that since one of the participants was a Crane, and the other a member of the Imperial families, it was felt inappropriate to have either a Kakita or Seppun swordmaster to invigilate. Therefore the other obvious choice was a Mirumoto; and since Mirumoto Uiri was already acting on Satoshi's staff...
• "... Imperial families? What ? "
• It turned out that Reju Jikai, Daidoji Eiakasu's teacher had tried to apologise to Daidoji Gombei whilst they were attending the Poetry competition. Either Jikai's apology had been poorly worded or Gombei was in no mood to listen, because he had rejected the apology and instead demanded satisfaction in the form of a duel to first blood.
• Seppun Asuza, Jikai's wife, had accepted on behalf of the middle-aged poetry teacher, and the duel was being held immediately just outside the walls of Kyuden Doji. So if Mirumoto-sama would step this way...

• The duellists and their seconds (Jikai for Asuza and a random Daidoji Bushi for Gombei) were already waiting by the time Uiri arrived, with a priest busy performing a purifying blessing.
• The duel, in the end, was somewhat perfunctory: Gombei was faster, and cleanly sliced open Asuza's hand at the wrist. Her sword fell helplessly out of her paralysed hand, and she dropped to her knees, trying to staunch the bleeding.
• Uiri obviously ruled in Gombei's favour, but the Daidoji made a point of dragging out the process of Reju Jikai's to apology before he withdrew and allowed him - and Uiri - to staunch the bleeding and see the crippled Seppun to a healer.
• Meanwhile, Horonigai and Goriate were at Satoshi's after-party; which went pretty much without incident.
• They seem to have largely given up on finding out where the Mantis' invitation came from; feeling they've hit a dead end.
• Their main goal was talking to Asahina Takako with respect to their clan tasks. They went with a joint approach as a bit of a compromise - one of Horonigai's tasks was to secure access to some copied scrolls of invocation techniques Isawa Asahina had brought to Crane lands after the phoenix originals were lost, whilst Goriate was to get Asahina support to address flooding in riverside Crane lands. Both could be addressed - at least in the long term - by Isawa and Kuni students taught by the Asahina. They passed the courtesy check well, so Takako is happy to advocate that deal for them once she gets home. They didn't get enough opportunities to leave her as an outright ally, but they achieved (sort of) one of their goals.
• Later on in the evening, Suiren opened up to the magistrates about the task he'd been given by Kachiko. She'd specifically told him he didn't need to be subtle, after all, and Horonigai had met Hitoshi the previous day.
• This led to a discussion both in and out of character. The magistrates basically decided to trust Suiren.... ish. He'd acted in the best interests of the Empire and against those of the highest ranking Scorpion in the vicinity before (including when they'd first met him) and right now his 'official' job was keeping court quiet and scandal-free on behalf of the Miya family and hence the Emperor. As a result, they told him what they knew about Hitoshi and Kakita Toshimoko. Any mention of Doji Satsume was omitted, though - they dont trust him that much and they haven't even told Ryu or Agasha Sumiko that.
• Kachiko had officially ordered him to undertake the investigation, so he had to come back with an answer, but technically she'd only not ordered him to be discreet, rather that specifically ordering him not to be. Coming back with an answer she blatantly already knew without further investigation was therefore not a violation of the letter of his orders, even if it wilfully misinterpreting the spirit, and will cost him a knock of honour against Loyalty and Duty (but slightly counterbalanced by small refunds against Honour and Compassion).
• The trick would be giving the impression his investigation was still on going and only returning his response at the last minute (preferably by letter whilst already en route to Hirosaka!) so she couldn't follow this up with a subsequent order to 'go spread nasty rumours'. Still, as Suiren's player put it " that's a tomorrow problem ."

• The following day was pretty much entirely taken up with the visit to Prosperous Plains City. The morning started early with a nasty surprise for Goriate - he and the others knew they'd be asked to supervise, guard and generally trouble-shoot the trip, and the first thing that came up was the intended passenger complement of the leading barge: Himself, Hida Kyno, Kakita Yoshi, Hatsuko and Ikue. There were a few other names, none of which really mattered and were presumably intended as witnesses.
• On asking where the passenger plan had come from, he was told it had been arranged by the Iwazaki no Kakita family. On closer - suspicious - questioning, this turned out to mean the managers of the geisha houses in the Iwazaki town, who were basically looking after the whole trip. Which meant whilst they were Crane, they still had to respect and take suggestions from Hatsuko...which in a roundabout way meant Kachiko and/or Mei Lin.
• This was clearly something Goriate had to deal with, and he chose to deal with it...by getting his friends to deal with it and staying well away. Insisting the passenger manifests had to be changed at the last minute would draw attention to the individuals involved in the change, but he could move himself without too much trouble: Kakita Riku was on the third of the barges, and Goriate could play the stubborn Crab to the hilt - not consult with anyone in advance: just march onto that barge rather than the one he was supposed to be on and - if pressed - claim he wanted to travel with his betrothed.
• When asked if he was going to tell her what was going on, he said no, which led to Horonigai's player repeatedly going " Lies And Deceit!!! " at Goriate trying to hide the Scorpion's attempted scandal-brewing from her, something which I fear might end up becoming a meme in our gaming group.

• With Goriate safely stashed out of the way, the other PCs took one of the key players each to talk to.
• Uiri got the easy job - talking to the Imperial Chancellor before he boarded. The reason this was 'the easy job' it that the message for Yoshi boiled down to " The scorpion are...being the Scorpion. We hope to handle it without anyone noticing. If you or someone working for you does notice, please don't do anything. It relates to the job we totally didn't do on your behalf in Slow Tide Harbour last year, so there is no way your involvement would make it easier to make this go away. " I'd like to think Uiri was slightly more diplomatic than this to the Kakita Daimyo, but he does have the Bluntness disadvantage, so you never know.

• Horonigai and Suiren - under the pretext of checking if anything was needed - went to speak to Ikue and Hatsuko respectively, and - through flashing Famously wealthy and an impressive string of explosive successes, plus the fact Suiren was a Shosuro and rumour had it Horonigai might be working for Kachiko, they got the two Trisha to talk more-or-less openly.
• What they eventually determined was that it was - as they'd assumed - Bayushi Mei Lin who had arranged to have Ikue apprenticed to Hatsuko, though Hatsuko had never spoken to Bayushi Kachiko or her aide directly on the subject; Bayushi Tsubasa had acted as go-between before he was dismissed from the capital. A few months after their visit to Slow Tide Harbour, a scorpion samurai - he'd never given his name (presumably not Tsubasa as he hadn't known their names when they met him) - from the capital had come nosing around in the wake of the magistrates. On finding out that Goriate had paid for an appointment with Ikue, he'd brought her back to the capital with him, and she'd found herself apprenticed to Hatsuko. And yes, she was supposed to 'recognise' Goriate when she encountered him, and cause a public scene in front of the Kakita and third party witnesses, the more senior the better. She had spoken to Bayushi Mei Lin directly, not that a junior maiko's word was worth anything, and was left with the very clear impression that not going along with the plan would be a terminal experience for her.
• Getting Goriate off the Chancellor's barge avoided the problem for now, but Bayushi Mei Lin would probably try again. What they needed was to have Ikue 'disappear', which would need Hatsuko's help (or at least tacit approval).
• Fortunately, it turned out they knew something Bayushi Mei Lin didn't. Based on what Ikue told them, she - and Mei Lin - were under the impression the magistrates had been in Slow Tide Harbour as a favour to Kakita Riku. That means Mei Lin didn't know that Kakita Yoshi had ever been involved (and Horonigai had no intention of telling the geisha that!). Which meant there was no real pretext for Mei Lin using Kachiko's authority and dragging Hatsuko into what was clearly a personal feud.
• Having her maiko involved in a scandal would be embarrassing for the senior geisha, and discovering Mei Lin's reassurances of Kachiko's support were made without consulting the Imperial Advisor left her in no mood to help Mei Lin. It also left her in no mood to keep Ikue around where Mei Lin might in future try to engineer the scandal whether she liked it or not.
• What Suiren and Horonigai eventually agreed was to have Ikue disappear as soon as possible, but have Hatsuko dissemble, at least until the end of Winter Court, to avoid Bayushi Mei Lin realising this.
• So that Hatsuko didn't end up out of pocket, Suiren agreed to buy out Mei Lin's contract - Horonigai had a small bag of koku left from the prizes from the Bowman's Wager as a promissory down payment, and the PCs had been promised a sizeable stipend from the Ruby Champion to relocate to Hirosaka - taking enough out of that to buy out the young maiko's contract might cause them to be short of funds down the road but it wouldn't bankrupt them by any means, and it meant the Famously Wealthy Suiren wouldn't have to touch any Shosuro family funds that someone connected to Mei Lin might inspect.

• That did leave Suiren's player with an awkward but important question: "Okay, Suiren has bought exclusive rights to a junior maiko; now what?"
• "What do you mean?"
• "Well...if you're not leaving her with Hatsuko, which would kind of ruin the point, once she's done hiding out wherever you stash her for a week or so, she's going to need somewhere to live...food...a place to work... and she is ultimately considered a hinin, so there's not many options legally open to her."
• "So Suiren essentially just bought a person?"
• "Pretty much. You can't really 'free' her because she doesn't cease to be hinin by buying out her contract; it's a social caste, not 'just' an indentured servant."

• "...may not have fully thought this through in advance. Feeling very conflicted about this situation."

I am a little confused on the exchange of favors. The Isawa want copies of scrolls in the Asshina's possession. So they send their own students to study with the Asahina? Would it not make more sense for the Isawa to offer some slots in their school to the Asahina?

And the Crab want Crane help with flooding so they send Kuni students to the Asahina? Or is it that the Crane want Crab help with flooding in Crane lands bordering the Crab and so the Crab are asking for slots in the Asahina schools as compensation for the help?

Sorry if I am a little confused on how that exchange of favors works.


As for the Shoruro actor with an apprentice Geisha in his employ, interesting conundrum. I take it he is going to drag her with him to Hirosaka? If he is going to freelance some performaces, she MIGHT be of use to him. Beyond that, I have no idea how the PCs are going to deal with that situation.

15 hours ago, neilcell said:

The Isawa want copies of scrolls in the Asshina's possession. So they send their own students to study with the Asahina? Would it not make more sense for the Isawa to offer some slots in their school to the Asahina?
And the Crab want Crane help with flooding so they send Kuni students to the Asahina?

It's not an exchange of favours directly; the Asahina will want something for taking in another clan's students - and yes, quite possibly matching with an exchange of students.

The original task was that the Isawa asked for the scrolls, but what they actually want is the information in said scrolls, which gifted students in Asahina schools are taught.

Similarly, the Kuni are after Asahina techniques to calm the flooding river. Having Kuni students educated in those techniques is a longer term but also longer lasting solution than getting an Asahina "consultant" in for the short term.

15 hours ago, neilcell said:

I take it he is going to drag her with him to Hirosaka? If he is going to freelance some performaces, she MIGHT be of use to him. Beyond that, I have no idea how the PCs are going to deal with that situation.

That's pretty much where they're at, too!

Heaven knows what he'll end up doing. Remember that as a maiko Ikue won't own her formal kimonos, Hatsuko will, so setting her up as a geisha per se in Hirosaka would be hugely expensive unless he can find a helpful okiya manager, and since he's likely to be leaving at speed before Kachiko gets a chance to read his note about the mantis Hitoshi, his chances to arrange support from the clan may be limited.

As an aside about dragging people to Hirosaka, it's worth noting there is one person with whom the PCs' upcoming relocation to relatively speaking the middle of bloody nowhere has not been discussed...

The Seppun, now ronin guard?

Forget her name.

6 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

It's not an exchange of favours directly; the Asahina will want something for taking in another clan's students - and yes, quite possibly matching with an exchange of students.

The original task was that the Isawa asked for the scrolls, but what they actually want is the information in said scrolls, which gifted students in Asahina schools are taught.

Similarly, the Kuni are after Asahina techniques to calm the flooding river. Having Kuni students educated in those techniques is a longer term but also longer lasting solution than getting an Asahina "consultant" in for the short term.

Ah, now that makes sense. Have their students study and learn, then transcribe their own copies before returning home.

Somehow I don't think the Asahina would be quite open to sending their students to study with the Kuni. Going to learn from the Kaiu artistry school might be a more attractive option for them. But of course, that is for the clan representatives to hash out.

1 hour ago, neilcell said:

Ah, now that makes sense. Have their students study and learn, then transcribe their own copies before returning home.

Somehow I don't think the Asahina would be quite open to sending their students to study with the Kuni. Going to learn from the Kaiu artistry school might be a more attractive option for them. But of course, that is for the clan representatives to hash out.

Maybe the more bellicose Asahina?

1 hour ago, Diogo Salazar said:

Maybe the more bellicose Asahina?

The Asahina are strict pacifists. Daidoji who have the talent to speak to the kami and otherwise do not fit in with the Asahina might make sense. And the Crab DO respect the Daidoji.

10 hours ago, neilcell said:

Somehow I don't think the Asahina would be quite open to sending their students to study with the Kuni

Remember that in addition to yelling 'purge the unclean' and setting people on fire like it's the 41st millennium, the Kuni do also maintain the Crab's 'spiritual irrigation' that keeps minor spirits circulating through the wastelands. The Asahina don't have an equivalent area of devastation to manage in their own lands, but I'd imagine the ruins of northern Crane coastal provinces smashed by the tsunami must still be in recovery.

13 hours ago, neilcell said:

The Asahina are strict pacifists. Daidoji who have the talent to speak to the kami and otherwise do not fit in with the Asahina might make sense. And the Crab DO respect the Daidoji.

Sure, but what happens if you have a black sheep crane Asahina who doesn't believe in strict pacifism like the rest of the family does? He gets expelled or adopted into another Crane family?
I once played with an Asahina trained as a Daidoji Harrier because he didn't have the talent to speak with the kami and was rather fond of the old saying " if you want peace, prepare for war ".

7 hours ago, Diogo Salazar said:

Sure, but what happens if you have a black sheep crane Asahina who doesn't believe in strict pacifism like the rest of the family does? He gets expelled or adopted into another Crane family?
I once played with an Asahina trained as a Daidoji Harrier because he didn't have the talent to speak with the kami and was rather fond of the old saying " if you want peace, prepare for war ".

To quote the Vorlon in Babylon 5, "The question points to itself". Might have been Kosh that said that.

On 6/7/2020 at 7:59 PM, Diogo Salazar said:

The Seppun, now ronin guard?

Forget her name.

Hatsue.

This has been the greatest thread and I am so excited to watch it continue. I feel like I learned a lot from these breakdowns

Thanks! That means a huge amount.

Also...no. obviously Hatsue doesn't know but since she left Otosan Uchi before winter court, there's no way they could (yet) have told her, and for that matter they've yet to meet her in person.

I meant someone (i.e. Goriate!) should probably think to tell Kakita Riku...

• So...the big contest was the Sumai - held in the reception hall of Kyuden Doji's keep.
• There were six contestants Goriate included - with Dori, the head of the Shinseist order, adjudicating. Other than Hida Goriate, these were:
• Shiko Takuya - a young Unicorn samurai that Uiri had picked out as a possible candidate for adoption into the Dragon
• Shiba Katsuda, daimyo of Nikesake and father of Tsume Itsuyo of Kyotei Castle.
• Kitsuki Yuikimi, the former Topaz Champion.
• Ikoma Anakazu, the Ikoma Daimyo.
• Hida Kyno, Goriate's uncle.
• The contest began with a formal blessing, followed by three elimination bouts, each as opposed martial arts (unarmed) checks.
• Kyno beat the young Takuya easily, before Yuikimi surprised the crowd by sidestepping and throwing the more experienced Katsuda with what Uiri identified as some of Togashi Ume's techniques.
• Goriate's bout against Anakazu nearly went wrong - the Lion launching himself forward with an aggressive burst of power that drove the crab back several paces - but whilst his initial roll was one success shy of the Ikoma's four, his Large Stature kicked in. Finally planting a heel firmly less than a finger's width from the rope, he first stopped Anakazu dead then began pushing him back, slowly but inevitably.
• With the three 'finalists' selected, each would face one another in sequence. Kyno and Yuikimi squared off first, this time the Kitsuki's tricks weren't up to the job and - whilst the result was a lot closer than Shinjo Takuya's bout - she was eventually forced out by the massive Hida.
• Yuikimi then faced Goriate - this was a much closer match, but since Mirumoto Uiri and Goriate have recently bought their comrade's bond up to rank 2, and Uiri has martial arts (unarmed), Goriate was able to use You Taught Me This to get skilled assistance, equalling the effect of Yuikimi spending her void point. The end result was...a draw.
• The two locked together; Goriate's greater reach and strength from his Large Stature and higher earth ring balanced by Yiukimi's better technique from her higher skill rank.
• The second round was fought without dice 'boosts' - Yuikimi had spent her void and Goriate wanted to keep his other use of You Taught Me This for his Uncle. Goriate won - just - but at two successes to one in a second round it clearly came down to the crab proving slower to tire.
• Finally, Goriate squared up against his uncle Hida Kyno. It was agreed his Large Stature wouldn't count in this bout as Kyno's brother was who Goriate had inherited his height from, and neither crab samurai had a real advantage. Kyno had the better stats, but Goriate had a few Dragon-style tricks taught by Uiri with You Taught Me This . He launched himself forward aggressively, hoping to catch his Uncle off balance.

• This did not go to plan , with a final score of six successes to one in favour of Hida Kyno...

• As his nephew flew out of the ring, Hida Kyno was declared the winner, and with two wins that won him the whole tournament.
• Goriate was a bit sore from defeat (both emotionally and literally), but as he picked himself up he noticed Ikoma Anakazu smiling in a thoroughly disconcerting way.

(The following is basically plagiarized wholesale from Winter Court: Kyuden Kakita. It just seemed appropriate)

• A Seppun guard materialised at the perimeter of the ring, bowed deeply to Kyno and waited with infinite patience...

" Eh? ” Kyno asked “ Why are you here, Seppun-sama? ”

" You are the victor ." The Seppun replied. " It is time for your reward. The Hantei awaits ."

" The Hantei? " Kyno laughed triumphantly. " This must be some prize!"

The Seppun looked momentarily confused. " Do you not know? The winner of the Sumai competition has the honour of performing the buguka for the Emperor ."

Kyno's jaw dropped in horror. " Buguka? " Kuroda asked. " A dance? I don't dance! "

Ikoma Anakazu chuckled, off to one side. " Then I suggest you learn ."

• Goriate took a few seconds to process this...along with a fact that a better martial arts roll would have had him stood in his Uncle's place.
• He was, of course, proud of his Uncle's success and was certain he would acquit himself equally well in this new opportunity he had been honoured with .
• He was so proud, in fact, that his first response on leaving the stage was to instruct Syu to bring paper, ink and brush so that he could write immediately to his Aunt and be certain of being the first to inform Kuni Haruna of the great honour her husband had won...

• After the crowds started to disappear, Uiri took the opportunity to talk to Shinjo Takuya directly. The various match-makers had come back with supportive noises, but he wanted to talk to the Unicorn in person.
• Takuya wasn't opposed to the idea of joining the Dragon by marriage if his father approved, but had no desire to live in ' craggy mountain fortresses far from the plains and anywhere to ride ' - essentially his support for the idea would be contingent on a posting to a position outside the Dragon Clan heartlands.
• Meanwhile, the match-maker making inquires about Iuchi Shahai had apparently been taken quietly to one side by a very scary Ide and essentially told that if the subject of a betrothal for Shahai were raised again - especially publicly - the individual in question would shortly be leaving Kyuden Doji, via the cliff-top. No context to the threat was offered, leaving Uiri both intrigued and concerned.
• Still, one out of two isn't bad. Uiri was still trying to weigh up how bad an idea pursuing Rumiko would be.

• Then a note arrived, inviting Hida Goriate and Kaito Horonigai to take tea with the Lady of Winter herself later that evening. The more also stated , Kakita Shijen, Shigo's elderly father, also sought a chance for a private discussion with Horonigai in the clifftop gardens where she had won the Bowman's Wager, shortly before her meeting with Kakita Ryokou.
• " Wait...why me?" "You're pretty much going to have to go ask Him."

• Kakita Shijen was waiting for Horonigai under the peach tree. He thanked the Phoenix for her involvement in recovering his daughter's letters.
• " I wanted to speak to you ," he added, " to warn you some rumours circulating around court. Specifically, rumours of your having some private relationship with the Scorpion Clan. There are also rumours of you approaching moneylenders in the capital about debts. Such matters are both gossip and, I am sure, baseless, but the Kakita have to pay attention to public opinion. Your thoughts? "
• Horonigai did her best to address the rumours, but struggled because she couldn't say why she was talking to the moneylenders, and her version of her meeting with Bayushi Dairu won't line up with Goriate's if the Kakita compare notes. Still, Shijen was well-inclined after her helping Kakita Shigo, and seemed inclined to take her at her word and accept her claims of ill-defined 'magistrate's investigations'.
• The third rumour was one that really got under her skin: apparently rumours were swirling about Soshi Giichi - a Soshi shujenga of significant talents and mysterious background - and his presence at the Bowman's Wager, combined with Kachiko's extensive betting on her. Supposedly some people were suggesting Giichi had somehow intervened in the competition to skew the odds in her favour.
• Then he asked about her obi. Horonigai was a little startled by the change in subject, but gave Shimon the same answer Kachiko had had - she was an orphan and had been found in it.
• "That's why I wanted to speak to you privately." Shimon said. "I recognise that fabric - indeed I may still have a kimono somewhere trimmed with it along the sleeves. The peach tree it depicts is the one under which we are sat. A bolt of fine silk was made with this pattern for the clan's representatives attending celebrations for the birth of His Highness the Crown Prince Hantei Sotorii, and distributed between the dressmakers for the various Crane samurai in the delegation.
• This was pretty big news, even if it was a starting point rather than an answer.
• With that news, she met Goriate and went to meet Kakita Ryoku...

• Kakita Ryoku was welcoming on the surface but there was a definite tension in the air this time. Magami's performance (and the fact it was better than Doji Chiyoe's) had drawn a lot of eyes and here 'private audience' with the Prince (all right, give or take the Emperor, the Mantis Champion and so on) left a lot of rumours circulating.
• In addition, the PCs had come to something of a dead end in figuring out how the Mantis got invited because they hadn't cordoned on to Rumiko being in Gotei Port at the time and (rather understandably) declined to engage in burgling a Clan Champion's rooms when there was no obvious danger on the line.

• Ryoku can best be described as 'not pleased' .

• The request which followed was...well...It didn't really feel like a request. Ryoku asked them to use their influence with Suiren, since the part of 'Doji Mioko' was now free (they didn't ask how she knew), to ensure Magami was given the role - but to use constant script changes, and any other device they could think of to ensure she embarrassed herself.
• She made hints about the 'gratitude and public standing of the Kakita and the Crane' being at stake (for Goriate's benefit), along with reference to Horonigai's sash and searching her diaries to help identify its source (with a clear subtext that she'd see any attempt by the Phoenix to investigate the topic squashed if she didn't comply*)

• This left the PCs rather divided.
• Horonigai and Goriate pretty much feel they don't have a choice but to go along with it.
• Uiri, who's had it up to here with court politics in general and the Crane in particular, and has made good friends with Izen, rather liked the idea of Magami being the next Empress. So far, he's in the " I want no part of this and you're doing this over my objections but I won't actively work against you ", but that could change.
• The concept of 'whoever we pick is going to end up married to Sotorii for the rest of their life' hasn't really occurred to them yet. It'll be interesting when it does.
• Suiren...was not there at the time, as he had to leave early, so arguably the most important opinion has yet to be heard.

• The one thing the Shosuro did agree is that he's going to 'stash' Ikue with the Poisoned Lilly for a short time and bring her to Hirosaka. Setting her up in an Okiya wont be cheap but she is a capital-trained maiko who studied under Hatsuko herself: " not up to Hatsuko's standards " is no great slur, especially in a rural town. That would give him a point of contact with a geisha house in Hirosaka and hence the beginning of a network of informants, which might be very useful since they're trying to find a figure in the local underworld.