4 hours ago, Harzerkatze said:

The cult literally named Bloodspeakers only arose 400 years later with Iuchiban. But Maho probably existed as soon as Fu Leng fell into Jigoko, so bloodspeakers probably existed in all but name.
It's interesting that we play so very early in the history, because so many things have not been established yet. Not only is there no wall - 5 years ago, the people later becoming the Crab clan didn't even have the enemy to the south yet. The Shadowlands probably started to exist since the moment Fu Leng fell through the earth. But is was just a monster-infested backland.
My Kuni Purifier, thus, grew up in peaceful surroundings and had a harmonious education of learning to deal with the glorious kami. Only shortly after her gempuku did the war start, and suddenly she was cast into a tainted hellscape and had to learn on the fly how to combat the Tainted, Maho, Oni, undead, just as her whole family had to.
The war lasted just three years and is just two years ago, so many are still thinking that they live in the age that was before the war. And with the war won as far as all know, it was only a terrible but brief interlude, a one-time catastrophe, ended with heavenly help.

Oh, sweet children of Summer...

Okay; that's fine, I can still tweak my backstory to fit this reality.

Our GM, @Hida Jitenno , wrote me that at the beginning of the campaign, two years have passed since the end of the war.

So the year is 44 IC.

44 years since the Kami descended from heaven, bringing with them the craft of iron smithing, the art of writing, the cultivation of rice, music, poetry, and so much more.
That means there are people still alive who grew up and reached adulthood before the Kami were there, who were bown in the Branze Age. Many probably still doubt whether these newfangled gods are really fit to be worshipped. Hantei is ascended, but others of the Kami are still living among the humans: Gods among men.

"The world was young, the mountains green,
no strain yet on the moon was seen..."

10 hours ago, Masakiyo said:

Okay; that's fine, I can still tweak my backstory to fit this reality.

Maho exists, but do recall that blood magic was commonly used before it became corrupted. Isawa was a master blood mage.

We're at a point of transition with that. It's clearly got "problems" and its use is now officially discouraged as Hantei II has accepted and endorsed elemental prayers as magic. That said, the corruption associated with maho-tsukai in later centuries absolutely exists, it just isn't easily understood yet. The Kuni, any shugenja that served heavily in the War, and what remaining independent shugenja from Hida's Legion remain, know there's more than just "correlation" with blood magic.

Well here's what I'm thinking. My character's father was a Togashi Chronicler. He started investigating blood magic, Fu Leng, etc., and his discoveries led to his home being torched. His son was the only (miraculous) survivor so he was taken in by the nascent Tattooed Monk order and given the religious name of Jinyo, meaning "Embers" or "Survival." This provoked his desire to master the elements, particularly fire, and join the war. That will form the backdrop to where he found his nemuranai, which I'll explain when I give you the full character info.

Well, my character is all designed and approved. Kuni Kamaitachi fought right in the thick of the war, despite being only in her 20s, because shugenja who can fight supernatural threats do not grow on trees. Since her family and their calling are just a few years old, they haven't gone down the "dark inquisitor" paths so far, and do not know so much about The Enemy yet. They know that oni can take a human's name, which is why Kamaitachi gave up her original name and took on her sensei's nickname for her.

She is at the Phoenix castle officially to share knowledge of Fu Leng and his creatures with the Phoenix, but with it being two years after the war, she doesn't have much knowledge left that can both be shared and the Phoenix do not yet know. Her real mission is building support for a coordinated effort of the whole empire to invade the Shadowlands, build a wall around the Festering Pit and thus close off the creatures of JIkogu from this world forever.
Yes, people still had big dreams back in the day...

As her name hints at, she is quite fast with a blade, and as a veteran, she can take as well as give. She also loves poetry and origami. Her red-on-white face paint is probably even more unsettling in these times than later, but cannot conceal that she is quite beautiful. With her very long black hair, she looks like a mixture of Lucy Liu and the girl from The Ring.

Cool; I should have all my details worked out in a couple days. It's looking like Jinyo and Kamaitachi will have much in common regarding goals.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rX40f_pCDw0IPnr_s-hYPX1n7BozMM4DfbvNPn52EdM/edit

My oc! Still got some fluff left to write, but its mostly done!

5 hours ago, Von3679 said:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rX40f_pCDw0IPnr_s-hYPX1n7BozMM4DfbvNPn52EdM/edit

My oc! Still got some fluff left to write, but its mostly done!

Your Rings are wrong: You should have two Rings at 3.

More or less finished my character last night. I used the xp so he's Rank 2 now but as this is my first ever 5e PC, not sure I did everything correctly. But I also realized that I can input directly into the pdf character sheet so I'll do that off my hard copy and upload it here soon!

Thanks! XD. When i added the 2 ranks initially i forgot all rings started at 1

Just sent my character sheet & 23 questions to our GM for approval; will post here once I get the okay!

Okay, sorry for the AFK guys. I got a new job about 300 miles away from where I currently live, so I've been apartment hunting. I will sit down this afternoon/evening or Monday and get things together to start. I'm going to make a new thread for the game.

If you guys are good with not rocketing into the action, we can start the thread with general IC roleplaying as you meet at the opening of Winter Court while I get my OOC life organized 😂

No problem; I've had a really busy week on the personal front as well. I tried to upload my character sheet here, but it's too big to attach. Our GM has it so we can share in some other way if needed!

So here's a bit more on my character:

Jinyo is a Togashi Monk of the Tattooed Order. His father was a Togashi Chronicler who claimed to have missions designated by the kami Togashi himself. He was fascinated by the mysteries surrounding Fu Leng and his origins. He was also convinced that the evils of Jigoku and the Shadowlands represented a corruption of the Five Elements so they could be most effectively countered by concentrated elemental power. He traveled throughout the nascent empire searching for sources of this power and compiled copious notes. But one night, disaster struck. His home was burned down. Both of Jinyo's parents were killed and most of his father's notes were lost, whether in the flames or stolen is not clear. But the youth somehow emerged from the flames unscathed. He was then taken into the Togashi Order, given the name Jinyo, which means "Embers" or "survival."

The young man proved an apt and spirited pupil, but he was headstrong and prone to violence and mood swings. He was both fascinated by the power he could channel via training in the martial arts and meditation and scornful of rules he saw as pointless. He was also committed to battling the forces of Fu Leng, which he believed had killed his parents. Seeking to continue his father's work, he joined the war as soon as he left the High House of Light, battling the forces of the Shadowlands without fear. He distinguished himself in these battles fighting alongside the other clans and decorated his bo staff with the teeth and claws of slain enemies. He also discovered a curious red piece of jade in a ruined shrine. It was shaped like a dragon's claw and seemed to radiate power. Later, in a battle with an oni, Jinyo was knocked prone. As the oni and its goblin allies moved in for the kill, a fire kami manifested, apparently from the jade dragon claw, to smite the monsters and save the young monk. He still wears the item on a simple string around his neck.

Jinyo made many friendships during the war, particularly with Crab samurai, whom he respects for their steadfast opposition to the forces of darkness. He also respects their bluntness. For Jinyo is not your typical monk. He is brash, blunt, and straightforward. His motto is "Wine and meat are nothing so long as the kami are in your heart." Unfortunately, however, his fiery nature also comes with moments of despair and melancholy and he seeks to lose himself in sake. His second most prized possession, after the dragon claw, is a sake set gifted to him by a Crab during the war. [This could be Kamataichi]. In battle he calms himself by laughing uproariously in the face of his foes. A master of the bo staff and ambidextrous, he often seeks to overawe opponents by sheer force of his presence and skill, twirling the staff as he demonstrates forms before battle. And once engaged, he has no mercy. Jinyo will always "sweep the leg."

He continues to try to unravel the mystery of his parent's deaths and the nature of Shadowlands evil. He has great respect for the Crab. He finds the Crane to be too effete; the Phoenix too esoteric, though he respects their knowledge of magic, and the Lion too wrapped up in hidebound bushido traditions. He does not entirely trust the Scorpion, but respects their results. He is a keen student of history & philosophy, including the teachings of Shinsei. He will often spout koans while drunk.

Okay guys, sorry about the absence. I"m gonna get the RP thread started up today. Thanks for you patience.

@Von3679 Would you like to join us over at:

Masayiko and I do not want to feel so alone in our conversation...

Sorry, i will soon! Just finishing up some stuff on the sheet. Didnt wanna join without officially finishing

13 minutes ago, Von3679 said:

Sorry, i will soon! Just finishing up some stuff on the sheet. Didnt wanna join without officially finishing

Right now, we are only introducing the characters through conversation, no rolls are expected yet.
But @Masakiyo just set up the perfect line for the Scorpion to wander into the scene, would be a shame to let it go to waste.

@Hida Jitenno Itto passed with 1 success(he has earth 1 theology 0, so its just 1 ring die which gave 1 success, using dicord l5r dice bot. What do i learn?

will we be sharing rolls here or as spoilers in the

I passed too and the GM gave me the result of my opportunity so I'll post it up on the site. We can go spoilers or here with our rolls. I'm actually using real dice for mine.

11 hours ago, Von3679 said:

@Hida Jitenno Itto passed with 1 success(he has earth 1 theology 0, so its just 1 ring die which gave 1 success, using dicord l5r dice bot. What do i learn?

will we be sharing rolls here or as spoilers in the

Von - just give the results in spoiler boxes in the main RP thread, like we do in Magnus Grendel's game.

@Hida Jitenno

Hey guys, I'm so sorry. I overestimated my capacity to run a game right now. Stuff's just a mess here and I won't be able to give this the effort it deserves for a few weeks minimum. I apologize for being gone. I kept convincing myself I could get to it "tomorrow" but I can't. In a few weeks I should be more settled and everything should calm back down.

I'm really sorry.

Sometimes life just happens. I'll be ready whenever everyone else is. This will give me more time to read the books and pick up more rules and lore.