"The Scorpion were not responsible for this, Doji Akibieden-san," Doji Kasarugi replies, "if there is one thing that those honorless dogs know how to do, it is act in their own best interests.  There is no value to my death at this stage, particularly considering our ongoing negotiations for military support."

"As for you, Asako-san, Moto-san," he says, turning his stern gaze on Asako Suleiman and Moto Gyatso, "remember that you are guests of the Crane, that we are at war, and treat the Chui in charge of half of our defenses with more respect."

"If I understand you correctly, Daidoji Sakura-san," he says, acknowledging the Daidoji Magistrate, "we have in custody an assassin who helped kill a number of Crane who were traitors much the same way these...things were."

"Sumimasen, Doji-sama," Suleiman said, bowing to Doji Kasarugi.  "Crane-sama," he added, bowing to Akibieden.  "Daidoji-sama," he said, turning next to the Crane who had raised her voice.  "It sounds as though you are saying that there are assassins attacking traitors to the Crane Clan?  That there are those aware of these tainted ones, and are acting against them?  Please, would you indulge me to say what kind of weapons the assassins carried?"

 Whether it's greater confidence in his own abilities, the teachings of a long-dead but never forgotten swordmaster that one should be able to strike from any stance or just a mind that reports no immediate threat from the scene before him, Kedo does not follow Doji Akibieden into a 'ready' stance - though as a simple, gray-clad Ronin he would be foolish indeed to do so.

 He does however express a certain unsettled reservation about the Crane's hasty accusation, parting his hands very slightly in a gesture of concilliation and daring to raise his voice in the presence of his social betters to state that "The men who dressed as Ninja fought in a fashion reminiscant of Scorpion training, but that tells us only that they did so - not where or by whom they were schooled. They were skilled, but without technique, without unity."

 He's careful to disagree with no-one of course, and since that's the point where Sakura intervenes with a loud demand for the bickering to cease, he'll probable be protected from the consequences of his interjection - particularly since, at her request that he arm himself, he turns to look questioningly towards Doji Kasarugi, seeking permission to follow through and arm himself once more - though if Daidoji Ryu has been graceful enough to allow the Ronin some small measure of credit for the new spirit motivating some ofthe cities guardians following last nights planning session, Kedo might be just a little ahead of the game in earning trust enough to do so...

 ...and thinking of weapons, wasn't Kedo using one of their blades during the fighting in the bath house?

 ...and isn't it the case that he has some little knowledge of steel?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Mon 29 Sept 2008.

"Lady Sakura are you saying the attackers in the baths where our allies?" Akis blood is boiling but he lowers his hand and lets his heel fall to the floor. Looking to his detractors, "The men we fought in the baths where 'men'. They where not monsters of fu leng, and they fought with the skill of formal training the likes of witch only the clans can offer." Looking back to Sakura, "When we first met you spoke of an ancient enemy come back to threaten the entire empire, and just now you mentioned shadow spawn. Do you mean to tell me we are facing the great liar, the lost darkness. That's only folk tails to scare the children..... Akis eyes drop onto the vague faces of the fallen assassins as he finishes. The confidence in his voice failing like a frightened child. .....isn't it?"

Sakura looked at the Doji for a long moment. Finally she came to some conclusion.

"No, it is not" she said somberly, moving to the now still bodies. She looked at the bodies for a moment, continuing her statement as she did so.

"The Shadow Spawn wiped out a contingent of highly-trained clan warriors while we watched" She was careful not to explain how she knew that the "bandits" were highly-trained warriors. "They wished one or more messages that the Messnger carried to get here safely. My miscalculations as to the source of the trouble led me to aide you in the bath, and now my life is forfeit."

She paused for only a moment to let that statement sink in.

"The Enemy now knows who I am" she said rising, "and what I am capable of. They are dishonorable in the extreme, but very cunning. They will come for me, in large numbers if they must, and they will kill me."

"We can only hope that, whoever these 'assassins' are that attacked the Spawn, there are many more of them hidden in the city."

Sakura then turned to the governor, a deep sadness in her eyes.

"If you arm Kedo-kun with crystalline swords, then only the largest of Shadow Armies will be able to get close enough to you to harm you ..." She obviously believed that the Governor would take her offer. "... as for the 'Ninja' that we captured, I suggest that we dump him on the Scorpion. They will use whatever methods they have to find out where the danger lies."

"Above all remember this -- this generation has already lost the Soul of one Emperor. We cannot afford to loose a second."

"I also ..."

Sakura's voice trailed off and her head bowed, deeply considering something. It seemed as if the weight of the Empire was on her shoulders.

"well, I suppose it's moot now ...."

"No, it's not. Lord Kusaragi" she finally continued, her head now raised once again, the sparkle returned to her eyes, "I ask you to consider one more request. Only the two of us know extent -- and the limitations -- of Lord Kuwanan's orders to me."

"Name me your second."

It was a bold request, one that would normally earn her seppuku.

"My life is forfeit anyway, but the Enemy will know that they cannot afford to allow me to take charge of the city. They will come for me anyway, and with the proper preparations my death may yet have meaning. It may be that we can force their hand ... gain some small tactical advantage."

If there was one thing that a Scorpion knew, it was sacrifice.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:42, Tue 30 Sept 2008.

"It exists." Gyatso said in flat agreement with Sakura, catching the eye of the knowledgeable Asako who also knew the truth of what they said. Listening to the Crane Shugenja speak he had to bite down on his lip to control himself. When would people learn that allusions and subtlty were not the weapons to fight this sort of enemy with? Going to somewhere secure before discussing the matter further would be sensible but now instead everyone wished to stand here and gossip whilst this woman made inferences to her importance and how she would be targeted above all others by the enemy. Not saying why of course because the Fortunes forbid someone speak the truth around potential allies. Far better to dodge around matters with veiled hints. Well he had no time for it.

"Have you tried speaking to these men who attacked the creatures masquerading as human? Or were they all incapacitated before attempts could be made? If they knew who the spawn were then perhaps they know where more are and may, without the need of persuasion from the Scorpion, be willing to actually discolse some information."

"Aside from interrogating the captive you said you had we still need to destroy these bodies, find a secure location and discuss the matter in security as I advised earlier before these new arrivals came. They were able to enter with no difficulty who is to say that more enemies do not even now linger nearby and listen to our discussions of how to oppose them? We must discuss all such matters in absolute privacy, not where we could be informing the enemy of our own strengths and plans to oppose them."

Sakura looked at the Unicorn Shugenja for a moment and sighed. Withdrawing a scroll from her pouch, she closed her eyes and began to sing softly.

[Casting Sense Element (Element: Nothing), with Mastery. Using the free raise for using the scroll towards the mastery. TN is 25 IIRC (15 base, plus two called raises. Any free raises she gets (for over-rolling; q.v.) will be applied to sensing range. (Those with Spellcraft will have to get the TN to identify from the GM. Ironically enough, only an Ishi can try to Counter it.)

21:58, Today: Daidoji Sakura rolled 54 using 7d10, dropping the 3 lowest rolls, rerolling max with rolls of 3,7,7,(10+9)19,6,9,(10+9)19. Sense (Nothing; mastery two raises +). ][Private to Kaze no Kage: If you don't use the Mastery Rules (as opposed to innate ability), then apply the raises towards sensing range. She only has one Nothing slot left and wants to try and save it ...]

Satoru was silent drinking all the information in. He had no idea what Sakura was getting at and further still was deeply suspicious of these orders handed down. He swore inwardly, the last few days had been either a setback or a revival for the emotions of a bushi were alive and well within him, despite his best efforts to move onto another life.

Suleiman watched the Shugenja with cautious interest as she chanted and cast her spell.  "You know a great deal of our foe," he said to her with wary appreciation.  "I had not realised that the Crane were versed in such... obscure arts as those.  Shall we speak plainly, then, or have we need to defend ourselves?"

"You should speak plainly in any case," Doji Kasarugi replies, looking around with narrowed eyes, "I dislike being kept in the dark regarding situations developing in my city.

"In regards to your request involving your yojimbo, Daidoji Sakura-san," he says, turning his irate gaze directly on the shugenja, "I will consider it, and make my decision after this conversation.  As you will both be here for that time, it makes the decision moot until then," he smiles grimly, "I may simply decide that all six of you must stay by my side at all times."

[Private to Daidoji Sakura: the corpses on the floor have excessive amounts of Nothing, but there don't seem to be any others within the immediate area]

 Having himself held up as some sort of Bushi exemplar and named as the sort of person who should be armed with rare blades of strange materials puts an expression that can only be described as pained upon the face of the Ronin stood one pace behind, one pace to the side of Sakura - it would seem that he's far more humble by nature than his ward.

 Almost gratefully then, Kedo offers a slight bow of acknowledgement and apology when no permission to arm himself is forthcoming from their Doji host, feeling not in the least offended by the refusal - since after all, no matter how disturbed he may be by the revelations of deceit and treachery in his midst, to have some outsider - and a ronin yet suggested as a bodyguard over the honourable scions of the Crane must be an insult that the Lord is struggling to ignore. How much worse it would get if that Ronin were revealed to be a simple student of Miromoto's teachings remains rather up for grabs.

 Needless to say, that whatever he might be able to offer in terms of contributing to the conversation, he knows better than to compound upon the errors of others by opening his mouth in the presence of his betters.

Sakura stood silently for a moment longer.

"We are safe from spawn" she finally announced, "the dead are the only ones here.

"It is my duty" she said, almost too casually, to the Phoenix's comment.

"Very well. What I am about to say" she continued to the rest of the group, "I would not without the Governor's orders. I hesitate even now, but I suspect that the revelations will do more good than harm. It is not to go outside of this room."

She then turned to Lord Kasarugi.

"The 'Bandits' that we watched, slaughtered helplessly, were well trained Daidoji Harriers. I do not know who ordered them to attack an Imperial Messenger, and as they are dead I cannot ask. But I do know this: Daidoji Ryu knows more of it than he has told me."

"I do not know on whose side he fights, and there are at least three to consider. Unfortunately it is all but irrelevant at this juncture, for any harm that comes to him or revelation that comes about him will certainly harm our defense of this city."

"Daidoji morale simply could not take it."

"But, back to the attack on the road, to see large numbers of Shadow Spawn in broad daylight was ... disconcerting to say the least. That they chose the side of the Messenger was even more so."

She hesitated for a moment, to allow her words to sink in.

"If the Spawn attack at night in those numbers, then they will easily be able to overwhelm our defenses. Of course, this assumes that they have not already infiltrated the Daidoji; if they have, that is disaster of the highest caliber."

"As our Phoenix has undoubtedly guessed, I cannot simply go around testing to see who has Nothing in them. It is inadmissible in a court of law, and not everyone who has it knows that they have it. Plus it quickly becomes a beacon, allowing those closeby who can sense such things, to know that I am looking ..."

"... and that would be very bad ..."

"There are, in this Empire, only three Clans that have regularly faced the Spawn: The Unicorn, who brought First Knowledge into the Light; the Dragon, specifically the Kitsuki who stumbled upon it during their many investigations; and, of course, the Scorpion ... who never tell all that they know."

Sakura then looked to Kedo and winced before looking back to the governor.

"Forgive me, Kedo-kun."

"Kasarugi-Dono, there is one thing that I must keep from you ... but your Warrior's Honor will not allow me to reveal it in any case. Kedo is on a Musha Shugyo*. More than that I will not say."

She then awaited the reactions -- possibly her own Seppuku.

[* it is not dishonorable to reveal that a quest is being undertaken (though Kedo will undoubtably be "quite put out") or that a Ronin is a questor. Revealing other things, however (e.g. the nature of the quest; the clan of origin; ect.) would be ...]

At the mention of the Harriers Akis hand once more drops to his blade. His eyes move to his lord with a distinct look of 'at your command'. Any honor or loyalty this GIRL may claim to have has been shown to be false. She speaks of the secrets of our clan in front of outsiders, speaks to the knowledge of other clans, and even discraces her own yojimbos honor and our own by mentioning the warriors quest. This 'girl' thinks to much of herself.

satoru still had many questions, like who the Harriers are, and how does a Crane know of these Spawn when she said only three clans knew, but those questions would wait until the Phoenix and Unicorn and Ronin were out of earshot. "Daidoji-san, you mentioned three clans but our cousin here of the Phoenix knows of these spawn. Is it inconceivable to think perhaps the Crab do as well? It would leave merely the Mantis, ourselves & the Lion unknowing of the threat, the Lion are without the city, but the Mantis are within. I know you are hesitant to search for these creatures for it will alert them but we need to know if the Mantis are who they say they are."

Suleiman held some of the same questions as Satoru, internally.  Wherever Sakura had trained, he doubted that it was with the Asahina, after seeing her cast her spell.  He had some knowledge of the Crane's ways, and nothing in them, obscure or plain, suggested that they would have power over the Shadow.  But for now, there were misconceptions to clarify.  "Monk-san, the libraries of my family are arguably the finest in Rokugan.  I have stalked those long halls for years now, taking knowledge from those old scrolls, and depositing what I learn in kind.  Yet even in those halls I have seen no reference to this threat; the lessons I hold come from other sources, further North than the lands of my Clan."  Telling, given that Phoenix lands were amongst those on the northern borders of the Emerald Empire.  "And those lessons suggested that this foe - the Khayel, as it is called in the North - was a much more distant threat than today's events would imply."

"Brother" Sakura replied to the monk in the honorific, "I spoke not of individuals within a clan, but of the clan as a whole. There are certainly some Kuni who have heard of such things, but as a whole they are too preoccupied with the threats south of the wall to study this one."

"Even so, the Ki-Rin have the broadest base of knowledge in this area. Every Ki-Rin shugenja knows something of it and how to fight it. "

Sakura, meanwhile, was not ignorant to the threats to her person. Her loyalties might be questioned by those low on her list, but loyal she was. But her first -- her overriding -- loyalty was to the Empire.

"The Dragon, more specifically the Kituski, have the broadest base of knowledge on how to find it. They have investigated so many peasants and bandits calling themselves 'ninja' that many don't believe in such things -- but they will always be able to tell if a particular threat is 'out of the ordinary'."

Sakura did not mention what the Scorpion knew -- or did not know. After all, there were already suspicions about the Shadow Hunters being floated about (Kedo having ruined her well-considered lie). Kasumi was beginning to feel as though her time was up.

Ironic.

She spent the better part of the Clan Wars safely hidden within the Crane ... and now it might be over.

No matter.

Kasumi looked about, thinking of something important. She went so far as to move a little bit ...
[Private to Kaze no Kage: More PM ...]

"My apologies to you and your Clans, Moto Gyatso-san, Asako Suleiman-san," Doji Kasarugi says, cutting straight to the point, "as governor of Toshi Ranbo, I am hereby drafting your services, in light of the present crisis.  I will not ask you to fight on our behalf against the Lion, so have no fear on that account.  You are now to be seconded to Daidoji Sakura in her ongoing investigation into the death of Doji Kusanagi."

"Daidoji Sakura-san, I hereby reject your request to take the protection of your Yojimbo," he smiles grimly, "no offense to your skills, Kedo-san, but I believe that Daidoji Sakura will be better served by your presence.  You may, until you betray the trust of the Crane, come into my presence armed.  Go retrieve your daisho."

"Doji Akibieden-san, Daidoji Sakura-san, Satoru-san," he says, looking at his Clan members, "before you return to your normal duties you will choose my new yojimbo.  Doji Akibieden-san, Satoru-san, you will choose three of your best bushi.  Daidoji Sakura-san, you will insure that they are what they appear to be--and that they remain so."

"Now, unless you have any questions, go about your duties."

"It seems that I am to keep my head after all" Sakura muttered, seemingly to herself.

"If you would pardon my ignorance" Sakura replied softly to the governor, "it seems to me that we cannot leave your presence until we have Yojimbo here to stand by your side."

It seemed that her gentle, polite veneer had returned. Perhaps she had learned something from Kedo after all.

"I would also hazard a guess that these two" she said indicating the Unicorn and Phoenix, "would be willing to carry orders to the chosen Bushi ... especially if they are given written orders from your eminence to get pure Crystal from the merchant quarters along the way. Pure crystal is the best way to determine the safety of the choices, ne Moto-San?"

"Akibieden-San, Satoru-San -- what of Kakita Tsutomu-Sensei and Daidoji Tomoe-San? I met them both earlier, and Kakita-Sensei did offer to help ..."

"I would be willing, Daidoji-sama," Suleiman said with a bow to his temporary superior.  "However, I've been in Toshi Ranbo for mere days.  It might be more efficient to send one who knows the city better than I.  Though, crystal I am confident in collecting; I have seen the merchants in this city, and... I may be able to acquire one or more weapons made from crystal, in addition."

I would be honored to aid my lord in this selection. Does my lord wish to have the finest of the warriors? Perhaps there are other more important qualitys you would prefer?

 Kedo was perhaps not the very wisest of choices for a hidden Scorpion to select for a Yojimbo in some respects - It is true that he has some small skill with the blade and knows something of the leadership of men. Even his sense of personal loyalty would be hard to fault. On the other hand he seems to have spent more than a little time amongst the mountain folk that are so perplexing to the sons and daughters of Bayushi at times, and more particularly amongst the Kitsuki.

 It's an association that, combined with his apparent ignorance of what's really going on that makes him awfully hard to keep in the dark when the events that generations of Rokugani have dismissed take place in front of him.

 He listens when Sakura explains the unfolding of recent events, and seems markedly unsurprised - even in agreement when she reveals the part of the harriers (having long since determined as much by simple inference) though his expression turns once more somewhat pained when she insists upon her 'revelation', despite it being essentially meaningless. A man in Ronin gray is a ronin until he takes up his clan colours once more, after all. - This of course does not prevent him gliding forwards a half-pace, empty-handed, when Doji Akibieden appears to be taking personal affront.

 He does take the direct address of the Lord as an invitation to speak however and replies simply, "No offence could be considered when a lord chooses the best of his own over a humble ronin." in a fashion that rings with simple sincerity before he bows in deep thanks and retreats that half-pace and more as tensions are steadily defused, then moves to the door and departs smoothly - expressing his returned trust by accepting that the Lord and his men will see his duty done until he can return in person.

Whilst the others discuss their plans and objectives Gyatso remains silent, already concerned he's spoken too much regarding these matters. Whilst the plans being proposed had some use the notion that they'd be able to find pure crystal of the sort needed for this even with this sort of backing was foolish. That substance was more valued than jade by those who knew its true worth and indeed a considerable amount of his own clan's resources went on aquiring some. His only contribution to the conversation was when asked about the value of crystal in ferreting out the creatures. After a moments consideration he shrugged and said simply, "I believe it would be the best of the possible options." Aside from that he remained silent, almost matching Kedo in his quiet contemplation of matters.

"My first thoughts are Kakita Tsutomu, Daidoji Kumi and Doji Kanisai." To Sakura-san, "Daidoji Tomoe is indeed a fine warrior but her skill is mainly with the spear and naginata and would be of little use in the confined halls of our lord." Returning his attetion to his lord, "My lord will remember that Daidoji Kumi and Doji Kanisai where recently assigned to me as lieutenants Kumi-san is a skilled duelist, and Kanisai is a veteran warrior like myself. The loyalty and combat skills of these men is without question but perhaps you may wish someone from the local magistrates, or perhaps the court to fulfill some need." Turning to the old monk, "Satoru-sencei what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Satoru frowned for a moment in thought. "Kakita Tsutomu-sensei, would be my choice. His unorthodox style may catch threats unprepared. I have found him to be ever observant & vigilant. He will serve well, provided he passes Daidoji-sama's test." he says in reference to Sakura.

"Bushi that I can trust is all that I require," Doji Kasarugi grunts, settling himself down on his seat cushion and leaning against the wall, "carry on, I will just rest here."