Are we getting to make a specific number of rolls each, or do we get to assign them all out between us?
My best rolls from that list are Recall (Earth)/Culture and Theorise (Fire)/Games. I'm willing to have a go at the Tactics if no-one else has the skill (and could VP it). My Air is quite low and I would shy away from needing to use it at all.
Sayaka could do the (Water) Sentiment/Culture or (Fire) Games/Tactics, and has skilled assistance in the three of them, as needed. Air isn't quite her forte either.
The Earth and Air ones seems quite interesting to me, likewise the Fire/Tactics.
I haven't seen anyone's character sheet, but making some inferences based on family, school, and what I've seen so far, here are my thoughts:
Quote
- Scrutinise (Air)/Design/TN2 will pick out details of Hirohide's dress and gear that might give you a clue as to his history.
- Scrutinise (Air)/Sentiment/TN3 will give you an insight into the magistrate's feelings.
These definitely seem like our hardest rolls. I suspect none of us have Air 3. Does anyone have Air 2? If we can't get Air 2, does anyone have Design (our best bet might be the Kaiu). Maybe Sayaka for the second roll, since at least she has Sentiment and maybe Keen Sight applies?
Quote
- Survey (Water)/Sentiment/TN2 will let you read the room's reaction to his announcements.
- Survey (Water)/Culture/TN2 will let you eye up the rest of the room and see if you recognize anyone by family or even by name.
Sayaka and I should both have a decent shot at the first one (Water 3, Sentiment 1).
Does anyone have Water 3
and
any culture? (
Edit:
Sounds like Sayaka does)
Quote
- Recall (Earth)/Culture/TN2 will let you recall what you know about Chisanru valley.
- Reason (Earth)/Government/TN2 will draw attention to something unusual in the terms of the garrison's authority.
Umeko for the first one (especially if Precise Memory applies).
Either Umeko or Hatsune for the second (unless Hatsune has Government, in which case Hatsune).
Quote
- Theorise (Fire)/Games/TN1 will let you speculate on the name of the outpost, since you suspect whoever chose it didn't do so out of a hat.
- Theorise (Fire)/Tactics/TN2 will give you an insight into the officers' posts and the means by which Hirohide is selecting them.
Umeko for the first one. (
Edit:
Or Sayaka apparently)
I have Fire 3 and Tactics 1. Others might have the same, but I guess I'd be a little surprised if someone had better.
You can try all the checks, divided between you as you see fit, but I was intending you only make one attempt at each.
Precise Memory should apply to the Recall check. I'm less convinced about Keen Sight - Hirohide-sama isn't any great distance away, but he's doing his experienced best to maintain a poker face; something like Subtle Observer would be more relevant.
Also, if it's going to affect your deliberations, note that Chinatsu's assistance is assistance following the standard rules - for the check where you use her assistance she will accept 1 strife on your behalf if needed, and where appropriate (probably the two earth checks?) you can use her Worldly Wanderer advantage.
Well, here's a roll on the Earth/Culture one as a start, anyway:
Ring
:
,
/
,
/
;
Skill
:
Reroll both Opps with Precise Memory : [blank], [blank] ...
Succeed TN2 with 2 Strife. What do I remember about the valley?
My best rolls are going to be the Water/Sentiment and the Fire/Tactics, but I'm going to let @Zantosa pick which of Sayaka's rolls gets assistance before I roll anything, since I think they're both decent candidates. I don't think there's any roll that I'm better at than Sayaka, so Zantosa, feel free to take any of "our" rolls that you want.
How long do we give @Heritage367 before rolling without Hatsune?
11 hours ago, Tonbo Karasu said:Succeed TN2 with 2 Strife. What do I remember about the valley?
essentially something similar to the description in The Scroll or the Blade .
You've never heard of Fubuki no Gake (not unreasonable; it's pretty obscure).
You have heard of Chisanru, the valley to the south.
Chisanru, or Chisanryu, is an isloated valley in the northern mountains that form the (somewhat imprecise) Dragon/Phoenix border with one sizeable settlement and a bunch of hamlets and terraced farms along a river gully. The valley is deep enough to be fairly temperate and fertile, and surprisingly sheltered from the destructive mountain winds. All told it's supposed to be a pretty attractive holding in a region where growing stuff generally requires choosing plants that can grow horizontally in a snowstorm.
The region was basically forgotten and lost until last year, when there was a political kerfuffle between the two clans at Winter Court after an Imperial Cartographer surveying the border area rediscovered it, along with an orphaned samurai girl who became the centre of the furore, who both sides saw as a desirable future clan member due to what witnesses describe as an instinctive once-in-a-generation grasp of the shujenga's gifts.
Matters ended with Miya Satoshi formally adopting the girl into the Miya, to be raised by the cartographer, which was what he, and she, wanted. Since she didn't end up joining the Dragon or Phoenix, the question of ownership of the villag where she was found was never settled either, which is why neither clan has troops stationed in the valley and its protection from a theoretical Yobanjin raid consists of a handful of village doshun, one middle-aged Miya family widower who's likely never had to draw steel in his life, and an (admittedly precocious) twelve-year old girl.
How Fubuki no Gake is connected to it, and why they're calling your garrison "no-good valley castle" doesnt make sense - you're not close enough to the ongoing diplomatic spat to remember the details - but it's a safe wager that in some way what happens in Fubuki no Gake impacts the likely award of ownership of Chisanru.
Shinjo Sayaka (5 strife)
Sayaka comes dressed for the occasion in an elegant purple kimono, a stark contrast to bland the one she travels in. The slight shine of sweat betrays that she has been in a rush, even though she has found composure and there's a definite calm and purpose over her. Her movements are deliberate as she tries her best to meld into the gathering. Back in Khanbulak she would probably have been mocked for this meekness - but this might be the person she was to be now. It was all so complicated, but the only easy part about a samurai's life was when it ended, wasn't it? She takes her place, but not before exchanging a few words with her table-neighbors.
" Agasha-san, this is Nanashi Mura Chinatsu-san, as you certainly recall from the baths before. "
As they take their places, Sayaka volunteers to be seated near the Ronin, by directly and deliberately seating herself so that they would fit into the farther end of the table.
As Seppun Hirohide speaks, there's an excitement spreading on Sayaka's face, despite her best attempts to control it. It takes her a second to realize this isn't the consensus, and she takes a moment to get a read at the room, throwing a quick glance at Chinatsu, whom she figures is more prepared for something like this than many of the other samurai present.
I'll take water/sentiment then! Thanks for the choice!
Roll: Success/Strife, Blank, Explosive/Strife, Success/Opportunity, Success/Strife
I'll keep: Success/Strife, Explosive/Strife => Success, Success/opportunity.
So 4 successes, 2 strife and one opportunity. Using the opportunity to reduce strife by two, so in the end 4 successes remains. Sayaka is not letting Chinatsu take any strife.
So....yeah. The clans at the core of the two main factions - Dragon and Phoenix, are both discreetly glaring daggers at one another across the reception hall. The samurai at the centre of the two factions - two bushi, a Kitsuki and a Shiba respectively - were clearly not surprised by Hirohide's opening statement, though much of the rest of their parties seem to have been in the dark
It's pretty clear from the half shocked, half outraged muttering that the garrison's name is news to them, and that they find it offensive but aren't prepared to take offence when the speaker is a high-status Imperial.
At the foot of the room, the lone Scorpion appears to be trying very hard to suppress a desire to grin.
Khenbish searches the faces in the crowd to see if he can get a good first look at Harumori. He had hoped he might be able to meet the Kitsu during dinner, but it was surely better this way. This hardly seemed like the setting for the conversation they needed to have.
Dressed formally but simply, Khenbish spends most of the meal trying to get to know the Dragon he is seated near. It seemed a shame things should be awkward between them and the Crane and Phoenix. A dinner like this should be a celebration, people from around the Empire coming together for a common cause. It should be a chance for Rokugani to share their cultures and build bridges. But somehow things always became so... political.
Returning his focus to his duties, Khenbish tries to begin formulating a strategy. Hirohide-sama had said explicitly that he would be open to thoughts on the matter of appointments. What might his criteria be? How could he persuade the magistrate to appoint him or one of his sisters? So much was riding on these choices. The success of the garrison might be made or lost that evening.
Theorize(Fire)/Tactics
Original Roll:
Ring
:
/
,
,
/
;
Skill
:
Keep:
,
/
,
So that's 2 successes (plus a bonus success from strife), 1 strife, 1 opportunity. I'll use the opportunity to not take a strife.
Hirohide-sama has said "appointments" - that is not a common approach, in Khenbish's experience. Normally, a Lord would appoint a commander and leave them to sort out their own subordinates.
The fact that the Seppun plans on directly assigning the lesser positions as well suggests a deliberate effort to avoid playing the garrison in the hands of a single faction.
Khenbish can see a middle-aged Kitsu samurai next to Yokoi; presumably Harumori. He noticed you looking and returns your stare with an impassive expression.
Heritage had mentioned needing to focus on school (totally understandable, of course) and expressed a desire that we keep moving if they couldn't get caught up. It's been 9 days since they last posted. Maybe we move on without them and let them jump back in when they're around? If anyone wants to wait, I'm okay with waiting too, but if we're not going to wait for Hatsune...
I think the following is our best bet for the four rolls remaining:
I think all of us have Air 1, so no one is going to be great at those rolls, especially the TN 3 one. I think we all have a Void point left, but I'm planning to save mine for after dinner, because I think those rolls will be more important.
Sound like a plan?
I have to admit I'm still not sure whether I'm allowed to make another roll - was it 1 person per available roll, or 1 roll per person?
Air/Design would be 2k1 for me, so would need a Void but I'd at least reduce strife with it. And I do have Earth 3 so it's reasonable to try the Earth one, although it isn't a memory thing.
On 10/14/2020 at 5:30 PM, Magnus Grendel said:You can try all the checks, divided between you as you see fit, but I was intending you only make one attempt at each.
So it looks like we're safe to try multiple checks individually, as long as we don't double up as a group.
If you're rolling one ring die and one skill die, I think there's only a 12.5% chance you get stuck with a strife. But maybe even that's not worth it, since odds of success are so low. I'm realizing it's pretty definitely not worth it for the Air/Sentiment roll, since any of us would need a single die to explode twice (it's the TN3 one).
So I guess we skip the Air rolls (unless Air/Design triggers your passion?). Maybe you give the Earth roll a shot, since at least you're rolling 3 dice? And Sayaka or I can try Water/Culture (her, if she has Culture).
Sound good?
only one attempt per roll, but you can try each one once.
The Air/Design check would be good for Umeko's Fashion advantage.
Sorry, I thought it was one roll per character!
Sayaka has culture, so I'll take Water/Culture and Air/Sentiment (it's worth a shot I guess).
Water/Culture: Blank, Blank, Opportunity/Strife, Success. Oh well. I'll keep them. Using opportunity to remove two strife from myself.
Air/Sentiment: Success/Strife, Success, Explosive. Keep Explosive -> Explosive/Strife (keep!) -> Success/Opportunity. Chinatsu assistance! I'll use the opportunity to learn Seppun Hirode's level of Strife.
Not letting Chinatsu getting the strife. In the end +/- 0 Strife.
Sayaka doesn't recognise anyone else in the room - she and Chinatsu are too focused on Seppun Hirohide himself.
The Emerald Magistrate is....frustrated. He clearly found announcing the name of the garrison cathartic, but in a "Serves you right" fashion, and he is clearly fed up with the two factions, with an irked glare flicking back and forth between the two sides as he eats. You suspect is also pointedly avoiding looking at the group of samurai at the far end of the room
He is currently on 4 strife.
Umeko arrived at the dinner dressed in a brighter and more formal set of clothing, her eyes scanning around the room to take in the fashion sense of those present, particularly the host, given Hirohide's importance.
"Oh, that's interesting," she thought, as she recognised the distinctiveness of his outfit.
However, the couple of glances she thought she saw directed towards her scarring made Umeko uncomfortable and she looked down, letting the curtain of hair draw across her face. She listened closely to what the Emerald Magistrate said and recalled what she knew of the location - borderlands in both ways. There was something else he said about the authority that pricked her memory but it eluded her grasp amongst the regulations for border posts she had studied on the journey here.
Note, I'm wearing Ceremonial Clothing, which has Resplendent, in case it's relevant
Air 1/Design 1: Spend 1 Void: Success/Strife, Success, Success: Keep the two successes and then activate Passion (Fashion)
Succeed, -3 Strife.
Earth 3/Government 0: Blank, Opportunity/Strife, Opportunity: Keep them all.
Fail, +1 Strife, Spend 2 Earth Opportunites to remember something useful but not relevant to this.
Seppun Hirohide is dressed in a kimono of impeccable quality, as you might imagine for a member of the Imperial families. It's worth noting, though, that whilst it is coloured in the grey-and-jade-green so often associated with the Seppun, and very modern in style, Umeko is certain the details of the seams and cut is that of Yasuki work, and the fabric either that of southern mainlander or Komori islander silk merchants - most likely the former. The fit is tailored so well, and without signs of alteration, that it has almost certainly been fitted by the tailor in person, rather than the item being made to order or as a gift from a third party.
The Gunbai fan is also decorated with twin heraldry - that of the Emerald Magistrature and that of the Crab Clan's Kaiu wall garrisons - it will be associated with a specific watchtower, though Umeko is not able to recognise which one. It has definitely seen some action.
It's also noticable that his Obi has come from a different outfit - some set of general-use travelling clothes or a field uniform, and despite the harder-wearing fabric appears more worn and frayed (though carefully folded to disguise such things) than you'd expect of a wealthy and influential imperial samurai, meaning that wearing it is almost certainly a deliberate personal choice. Oddly enough - to Umeko's experienced eye - the damage looks more like what she'd expect to see on her own work clothes - from spilled or spattered alchemical acids or burning oils - than simple wear and tear.
Your overall impression is a well-connected member of the Imperial families, who has spent significant amounts of time recently in crab lands - and not in someone's winter court, from the look of it.
You also finally place the face of a distant relative amongst the other Dragon clan samurai. The Kitsuki is a bushi by the name of Kitsuki Fuji - a respected leader of light troops and scouts from the east of the clan's holdings, who you recall hearing recently lost a young son during the defeat of a Yobanjin raiding party.
Nicely done, team! I think we actually got a lot of information. I haven't processed it all, and I'm not sure what it all means yet, but this feels like a promising start.
Can't help but notice some competition for appointments. Sounds like Fuji has some experience leading troops and the Crab might have an in with Hirohide.
What's the next step?
Totally missed Fire/Games somehow!
@Tonbo Karasu and @Zantosa , it seems like you both have a good shot, so I guess either of you could take it?
Sayaka lacks games, feel free to take it!
Well, in that case:
Fire 3 / Games 1 v TN1 : [Success/Strife], [Success/Strife], [Success], [Explosive Success]
Keep 2 Success, 1 Explosion, 1 Strife, reroll gets: [Explosive, strife] keep and reroll for [Success]
7 Success [5 rolled, +2 for Fire Stance Strife], 2 Strife (putting me on 4)
It seems such a waste...