You got it.

Hello everyone!

I'm curious how many of you are holdovers from the last Lot5R game that popped up on here, and how many of you I know from other games.

I'll be playing a hot headed young Kakita duelist with a penchant for snide remarks.

Hello!

Kogoro here is a nominally a craftsman from the tiny Kano Clan, but he has also attended training as a Bushi under his Crab Clan benefactors.

He is quiet and humble, and especially concerned about the recent interruption in the supply of black market Jade.

Oh interesting, a Minor Clan.

Hi hi hi hi! Miho is going to be your resident lawyer and scholar, being educated in the Doji Bureaucrat School. I look forward to her being... Slightly insufferable.

While I doubt I was in the last L5R to pop up, I have been in several other games on RPol! My favorite was as a Bayushi master of disguise.

I'm not of the same family but I was present in that previous L5R game, Kakita-san.

Chihiro is a cultured and pleasant priestess serving the spiritual needs of her betters and giving voice to the playful kami of the air.

In the next couple of days I'll be starting preludes for each character.  Don't worry about characters being ready while you engage in them.  This is to give you and I a feel for the characters, and you're free to move points around as you figure out what the character is all about during the preludes.

I will bring this up for a vote a little later on, but I want to know how you guys feel about private vs public threads in terms of story.  There will be back room deals, and clan objectives, and while I prefer to keep them private, I realize that some people like reading other threads for entertainment.  I would have to bring them out into the light anyways over time as I will need the private threads, but it means reading them a month down the line rather than while they are happening.

Also, I realized that the islands are not on the current 5E map, and the different maps have a different number of islands.

https://l5r.fandom.com/wiki/Mizu-umi_no_Fuko - The map there shows two islands, but the map is poorly done.

https://i.redd.it/rnij0r9tbzn21.png - My favourite map, but it only shows it as one island, but at least you get an idea of where it is located.

I don't read threads I'm not in, hell I don't read private conversations in the threads I am in.

So I'm all for Private Threads for wheeling and dealing.

Ooh, another Crane!  Excellent.  We can be insufferable together.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Fri 14 Aug 2020.

Looking forward to the moment that Doji-san slips up and asks me to try and complete paper work. lol.

Kaito Makoto, a Shrine Keeper brought along to see about dealing with some of the spirits running rampant along the coast, as well as get herself married off to consolidate alliances for her family... Which she may or may not be too keen on.

Nominally a Minor family, but they get mentioned if only to give the Phoenix some more variety at this point...

So this is my first experience with the 5E rules set, and I'm about halfway through character creation. Normally I'm pretty turned off by specialized dice, but I have to say that so far I am really a fan of this approach to building out rolls and the movement of ranks/techniques to a more flexible, less prescriptive system.

Might I suggest this rather helpful character generator someone made.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rokug...amp;utm_medium=web2x

I like it generally as compared to the prior editions... You have a lot more options though I still have a soft spot for 4th edition. If only because it was my first full exposure to the setting. Still settling on an avatar as haven't written a description just yet either as I go through the twenty questions.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Sat 15 Aug 2020.

I did 2nd and 4th too.  I find this is more of a softer system, that gives a more narrative play style, which as I've grown I've tended to appreciate more.  I will admit, I loved the deadliness of 4th edition, the brutality of combat made combat something you never walked into lightly.

Less you were like me playing a Hida Berzerker that managed to get to rank 5. >.>

Only nearly twice that campaign for being an idealistic idiot in one and a stubborn one in another lol.

Hi all.  Nice to be joining all of you.  I'll be playing the spirited battle maiden.  Looking forward to playing with all of you.

I will be a bit busy this weekend but will start character creation come Monday.

This is really neat! What's the best way to export it out so I can post it over here?

No idea!

This is my second time trying to play Kakita Hachi, the first time the DM vanished after the first act (played with him for years, he does that).

So I still had the old character sheet all filled out, I just used this program to make sure I'd done it right the first time (I hadn't), and to level to 50 bonus XP.

Always the hard part when making a character... establishing the priorities... As I have shuji for courts, invocations, rituals... Ad nausem lol.

I've made it a bit easier on myself in that regard, if only because Makoto has ended up being... very bad with people. I expect almost everyone will be able to lead her around by the nose given the proper motivations and buttons to push. So I've mostly been avoiding dipping into Shuji.

But that's the fun of it at court, and not everybody can be the social butterfly and master manipulator.

We have 3 players coming in shortly and a couple more working out details, so we're good on cast.

I'll be reading through your 20 questions this weekend, and looking over completed sheets.  Preludes will pop up for some of you, but replies will trickle in slow as I work on the back end.

Anything you guys can do in terms of making you xp expenditures easy to follow will be appreciated.  Remember rank as you progress through the xp expenditures.

Also list what books some of the powers come from, if they come from books other than the core, and please include the page.

Hehe, Courtesy 3 in my case... Soshi Chihiro is rather smooth between that and Air 3. The thing I'm struggling now with is figuring a way to get sentiment in there to the similar level without burning progress on my title/School ranks... though technically only rank 1 there in.

I look forward to watching you smoothly manipulate your way through the courts, putting everyone you can to use in whatever your goals end up being.

We'll see how that goes lol.

I'm sure you'll do fine. The Scorpion are adept at navigating the twisting passages of courtly life, after all.

On a slightly unrelated note... I'm amused that Makoto has come away from her honored ancestor with a point of skill in Command. I'm not sure entirely how to reconcile that with her meek and subdued personality, or her lack of people skills in general, but we shall see what we shall see.

Personally... It's fun that they give blindness as a disadvantage (which I've taken) and then hilariously roll Wondrous Item for my ancestor... and then roll aesthetics as the skill it gives.

As to command, knowing how to give tactically sound orders and convincing people to follow said are often as not entirely different challenges lol.

That is pretty at odds, isn't it? Though I suppose even if she can't see the works, she can understand the principles behind it, and perhaps with the proper explanation of a work she can still find useful information from them. Origami would be a good medium as well, since even blind she could work the folds of paper easily, maybe even better than someone with sight, since Chihiro could likely feel the folds in the paper much better, and simply through rote practice know how each fold is supposed to feel to produce the result she wants.

In this case, Tactics would be puzzling out the right strategy to use, and Command is the one used to get someone to do what you want through authority. Makoto, for some reason, actually knows how to do the latter, even if she rarely has the courage to speak up and use it... hm, perhaps I'll reserve it for unmasking. It'd make sense when she hits that breaking point to push past her own insecurities and explode on someone to get them to do something important.

That is more or less the stance I took on the matter. The same somewhat goes for the default rank of Design I get. She can't do it herself but can at the least feel her way around quality materials.

The other fun here is picking invocations that are actually helpful to me and others. There does not appear to be terribly many admittedly.

Fair on the note of command. Plus, most people are surprisingly able to take charge if at least for a short time if backed into a corner.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:35, Sat 15 Aug 2020.

Ah yes, the selection of invocations. If it's any amount of solidarity, almost all of the invocations I'm pushed towards taking are meant for fighting tainted beings and spirits. Practically useless in a court setting. Of course, there's also the issue of getting access to fire invocations later, which is almost pointless since Makoto's fire ring is garbage and I don't intend to change it any time soon, as it fits her character that she's not very outspoken to keep her fire ring low.

Most of mine would be useful if I were fully able bodied and could do all of the sneaking they call for... but strictly speaking, I can't and almost none of them present the option to use the invocation on someone else as the beneficiary lol. I miss the more expansive spells to a degree as a result of previous editions.

Well, there's a rank 2 Water Invocation that extends single target benefits to others as well. Sympathetic Energies is I think the name. That would allow you some leeway in your invocation choices, especially for longer lasting ones. It's an easy enough invocation for you to get access to as well.

I'll have to get that when I get to the next rank of my school where water invocations count fully. The four I've got presently can work for someone else, I just need to be in range and roll well to apply them.

Well, we've been awarded 50 XP to begin with, so you should be rank 2 at the least already, shouldn't you? Unless I misread something somewhere.

I took a title and you can only ascribe progression for one or the other. So I have my title fully but am 5 shy of rank 2 as a Soshi Shugenja.

Ah... focused on that political power, hm? Makes sense to me.

Basically, she is a rather capable priestess. The only thing I can really think to do to tweak the numbers a bit more is I can reduce Fire to 1, free up 6 XP and then use that to add a few more things to push myself up to rank 2 as a Shugenja. It just always... bugs me to have a ring at 1 especially when she would have had to be at least moderately creative to succeed at all without  eye sight.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Sat 15 Aug 2020.

I'm deliberately ignoring the Fire ring and leaving it at one, simply because in my head it makes sense that Makoto isn't very expressive of herself or her opinions, and Fire represents that creative spark and drive to be noticed.

It makes sense to me that Chihiro has that drive, needed it to establish herself the way she did given the limitations of her body. All that you putting experience into title means(by my interpretation and understanding) is she focused her attentions and ambitions on establishing herself in that way, rather than focusing on the more traditional studies of her school.

Makoto, conversely, is too timid in personality to even try to make political moves for position. Instead, she threw herself into studying the techniques of her school, and as such, even young as she is, has reached Rank 3 already and is just beginning to dip her toes into the secrets such mastery has granted her access to. I'm considering dropping her Glory down with the option given to us, simply because she is so meek and unwilling to challenge those of higher authority that many of her accomplishments are attributed to others who have more prominent personalities.

But I digress. Your reasoning makes sense to me, that the creative spark helps Chihiro push past what other might see as a detriment and has established herself firmly within her chosen field.

I can kind of see an argument in both directions as she has Water 3 and Air 3, she can flow around the issue and use air to also plan around any expected hurtles in her way. Going to waffle and stew on that for awhile yet as if I disregard fire to 1... I can have both and up fire later in play.

I suppose it would  ultimately be up to whether you want that extra bit of Fire Ring and its benefits, or access to Rank 2 and its benefits, such as they are.

With priest it lets me importune rank 2 spells at basically no penalty, so kind of handy. Just one of those things to fuss on in one direction or another for a bit before arriving at something that feels good to look at.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:35, Sat 15 Aug 2020.

My vote is Priest.

Fire 2 is fine, and you might notice it on one or two rolls, but Importune 2 you will notice every single time you use it.  Player agency and empowerment wins over slightly better stats every day in my book.

(Author's note:  The following person almost always takes a Feat at level 4 in DnD 5e, not an Ability Score increase.)

Arguably, Fire does add immediately to Endurance and Focus, which are effects also felt all the time. Not sure how much value that would have overall, but just something to keep in mind.

At least in my case as someone not spoiling to fight somebody, and who ever in court challenges a blind woman to combat is probably not winning a popularity contest, End 6 and Focus 4 should do well enough for me. >.>

That is certainly true. Besides, you could always convince someone else to fight in your place as well, after all, how could you hope to represent yourself suitably, hindered as you are?

You'd bring shame upon your family if you were to even attempt it. No, better to let a champion fight in your place.

I'll likely have some kind of yojimbo attached, hopefully, as nominally she's there to advise to a group of scorpions on spiritual matters in addition to the courtly obligations. Either way, it'll be an interesting time. lol.

Greetings friends!  Kashin here is little more than a humble merchant captain plying his trade, who just so happens to be here representing his clan.  He is not in fact a good for nothing smuggler with ties to the Rokugani underworld and treacherous Gaijin, I assure you!

I very much look forward to learning from my betters here at court.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:43, Sun 16 Aug 2020.

It just occurred to me I get to act very deferential to you anyway, because you're a priestess and Shrine Keepers usually work in service to them or Phoenix shugenja. Thatll be fun. It might even be more comfortable for Makoto, since she's used to dealing with priests, though the whole Scorpion thing might have her assuming things that are... maybe only half true.

Greetings, totally not gaijin. You'll likely have no trouble from meek little Makoto.

I'll try and get some 20 questions done tonight, but I'll definitely delve into them tomorrow.

I love the Tortoise. They're a bunch of basic criminals and thugs who tripped into nobility because they ran the port of the capital city loyal servants of the Emperor. It's something they have in common with the Mantis and the Yasuki. Mafia Families who it, at some point, became easier to co-opt into the feudal structure of the Empire than persecute where they belong due to their established, historic ties to the Kami.

See?  I'm glad somebody understands!

And remember my lovely Doji friend, if there's anything you need, anything at all, Kashin here can get it for you.  He knows a guy.

In reply to Kaito Makoto (msg # 47):

This is true though Chihiro isn't a particularly cruel woman if she can help it. She has to rely on a great deal of help to get through all the particulars of samurai decorum, grooming, tailoring, and appearance to be presentable at court... So being mean to anyone subordinate to her is tantamount to self sabotage in her own eyes. ;)

Also, Kasuga-san, isn't that usually my line? :P

Well, Makoto isn't going to know that, she's never even been out of Phoenix lands before now(Shrine Keepers rarely do, though as I understand it is becoming more common with all the troubles popping up throughout the Empire). All she'll really know is the reputation each house carries, as well as how to act proper... more or less. Itll just be easier with a priest, because while clan practices may be different, communing with the kami is something she can understand and relate to more easily than clan politics and the rigors of court.

But at least Scorpions have the courtesy to outright tell you that you shouldn't put your trust in them too much. Others are... less forthright.

No no, Scorpion-sama, your clanmates are far to subtle to just come out and say such a thing.  We uncouth Tortoise on the other hand... That and with our connections outside of Rokugan we can get things you can only dream of.

And my Phoenix friend, who said that Kashin wasn't trustworthy?  After all, he's an honest and law-abiding kobune captain/merchant!

As an aside, it'll be fun to see folk's reactions to meeting Kashin, as there's a real chance that a number of our PC samurai don't even know about the clan, and for almost everyone, this would be their first time meeting a member I imagine.

This entire phrase doesn't make sense. Nothing here goes together. It's like you don't even understand language. Honest... Merchant?

It sounds like you've been dealing with the wrong merchants Phoenix-sama!  Trust me, you can absolutely trust me!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Sun 16 Aug 2020.

Certainly. Though I'm sure Makoto is also insightful enough to draw some conclusions once she catches on to the particulars of Chihiro's disabilities. Being blessed with very good hearing and a cultivated attentiveness to fine details can only go so far.

Perhaps, Kasuaga-san, it is tradition for all our gifts to bear a certain thoughtfulness and foresight. How better to prove our sincerity and loyalty to those who stand by us?

I have to wonder if the Scorpion exile happened in the rebooted setting or not... I don't think it did admittedly as no second day of thunder means no return of the Scorpion to the Imperial court.

As I recall, the reset has brought time to before the Scorpion Exile. In the new timeline, the Scorpion have yet to leave the Emerald Empire(though that also means they haven't done anything requiring that exile as well).

As to Makoto's ability to pick up on social cues... it's possible? She's strong in Air, but I've been waffling between a few different Adversities, one of them being Bluntness to reflect her very limited social interaction. She spends more time in communion with the kami than she does with people when she can help it, and her natural shyness hasn't done her any favors in developing those social skills. That's not to say she can't play her part but I've debated making it more or less... difficult for her to understand the subtitles required in a court setting. The Kami, after all, rarely hide their intent behind honeyed words.

But eh, I'm not entirely sure yet.

Not going to lie... That'd be a great moment IC of Makoto just bluntly asking Chihiro if she can see her.

As to the Kami, Chihiro can understand that all too well as they probably also serve as her eyes if she deems a situation dire enough to call on them like that.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:48, Sun 16 Aug 2020.

I agree! Might take a bit of wheedling from Chihiro to get past Makoto's natural meekness before Makoto would even attempt to question a vaguely defined superior in such a manner. It's an interesting dichotomy as well, the usually shy and unobtrusive Makoto, when she is comfortable enough to speak or when she is outright called upon for her opinion, is usually very straightforward and to the point, rather than playing word games or offering suggestions...

Yes, I think I like that. Would work well with that bit of Command she received from her honored ancestor as well. When its called for, and when her stress reaches a breaking point, she can explode into just bluntly pointing out what everyone is

I'm certainly sure Chihiro might be able to get that close but we'll see how that plays out. Fortunately, we're likely to be spending a great deal of time in similar places as priestess and shrine keeper.

I think I mostly have everything I can at this point locked in, what comes next is just how it all evolves in play.

Very true. We'll have to see where the tides of the story take us. Still, with the presence of restless spirits on the island, who better to aid in looking into it then a priestess? And surely the Phoenix would gladly lend one of their own to the task, lest they lose face.

Regardless, I wouldnt say im set in stone yet, but Makoto is certainly well on her way. Just a few things to discuss with the GM, and we'll be good to go.

Hello, hello! It's nice to meet you all.

I'm just getting started on the questions but Kinnosuke will primarily be serving as someone's yojimbo, perhaps Soshi-san's ?
Despite his humble station and humble beginnings, Kinnosuke is not a humble man. Watch out for him.

Welcome! And quite probably if that's how you wish to play it, she's rather helpless from a defensive perspective lol. I still need to review creating some NPCs and the like.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:39, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

Hi! Happy to be playing with everyone!

I'll be the resident Dragon, I think I'm the first of my kind. I'm not too familiar anymore with the family names; I haven't touched L5R since 4E and the TCG.

Greetings to both new arrivals! I hope whatever way our stories unfold we write a good one!

As a side note, I do believe you are the only Dragon, unless there's another on the way or, like you, I've simply missed a name due to lacking a perfect memory.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

Hello new people.

Sorry for my radio silence all weekend.  We had a heat wave, which led to a freak weather event called a Roll Cloud around 2:30am yesterday.  The Roll Cloud caused massive winds, knocked out the power and internet, and literally left us in the dark with no cell service when the heat lighting started a forest fire near by.  Woke up to smoke at 5:30am after a restless night of lighting and thunder.  Had to grab the bug out bag and the cat to drive into town just to get enough of a signal to call the non-emergency line and figure out if our place was going to burn down or not.

So yeah, relaxing weekend.

Still don't have internet, sitting in town in my car next to a coffee shop, but the lying bastards at Xfinity assure me we'll have internet in 15 minutes at home.

Sorry to miss the character generation chatter, that's usually one of my favorite parts.

I'll be playing a chatty and preening Kakita Duelist, looking forward to meeting you all IC.  Most likely I'll be playing Yōjimbō to our resident Doji.  I typically play social characters, and Hachi is no exception, so expect him to be in the middle of any Courtier drama that unfolds in this game.

Looks like he will also get along famously with most of you, especially our two merchants, as I'm not seeing anyone leaning hard into the Duelist archetype.  Then again, we have a Shosuro.  If Kinnosuke is playing Bushi, there might be some ruffled feathers between them that could lead to some interesting RP.   Leave it to a Crane to get caught up in pride and vanity.

Whew, that sounds exciting!



This is precisely why I selected Unyielding Terms. "Oh, well, see, I'd love to discuss this but the law says it's time for a sword fight hey have you met my friend Hachi I think you'll love him real cut up get it?"

I took civility foremost myself under a not dissimilar modus operandi... Though more social capital than anything else lol.

I'm so tired.

Rules qestion, can you take Shūji that aren't in your school?  Obviously it wouldn't count towards your Rank, but are you allowed to take them?

I took "Gets Manipulated" because I like torturing my characters in social settings.

As I understand it, yes, so long as shuji is a thing you can take(I dont think I've seen a school that cant).

They end up counting as half xp for the purposes of ranking up i believe, unless there are rules i havent run across regarding it.

Half rounding up, so you'd get two for each one out of curriculum.

As to getting tortured in social settings... You and me both lol. Hachi can attest to my characters more than half the time being crippled by their own neurosis and hang ups long before even being physically so. <.<

I'm the one that keeps doing things like taking the Yogo family curse.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

And you're right to. The Yogo curse and Bayushi inducting the Yogo family is the best piece of setting lore in all of L5R, and perhaps the best piece of setting lore in any game.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. I will not be taking questions at this time.

Last time I did it... Triggering the curse basically resulted in near bankruptcy of the family, a blood oath of vengeance from the Lion and the Scorpion sending assassins after me lol. All because I refused to give up my research or go through with an arranged marriage to coerce the secrets from me... Good times.

Especially after marrying into the Tamori Family with hardline support from the Isawa lol.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:59, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

Ah, the fun of running your own character into the dirt, with everyone calling for their blood... good times.

I've found im almost done, but ive run into a few roadblocks along the advantages/disadvantages... as per usual if im being honest. Ive too much time to second guess choices and options, and how it would work with the character as a whole.

Oh man, the Yogo Curse...  Good times!  I'm normally a Phoenix guy, so I have a soft spot for the Yogo too.

Welcome new people!  Glad to not be the FNG anymore! ;)

As an aside, I'm a sucker for creating connections between PCs, so if anyone is interested in hammering something out (even if it's just super small!), drop me a line!  It'll largely require you to have been on a body of water somewhere, but hey!

Second silly question.

Next to my name it says   Crane | G:42 S:35 |V:1

Glory, Status, and..... V?

I'd presume void? I'm also not opposed to casual connections as well, Kasuga-san. Chihiro's traveled a bit and had placements in fun places like Ryoko Owari. >.>
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Mon 17 Aug 2020.

In reply to Kakita Hachi (msg # 76):

I believe it is in fact your available Void points. The other V should be your vigilance, and as far as I recall, I believe those would be the only two numbers starting with a V that would require tracking.

Thank you!

Vigilance I got.

My apologies everyone, I just went through only 2 character's 20 questions today.  I'll get more done tomorrow.

I promise there will be no riots.

Not again.

In reply to Sun And Moon (msg # 80):

Hope it wasn't mine, because I changed two this afternoon!

About 45% of the names in this game start with K.

That is all.

I'm pushing through yours right now.  Though I won't be able to do the math on the sheet tonight.

In reply to Doji Miho (msg # 83):

I say the K's for their own political faction, and simply overwhelm all others through weight of numbers. It probably won't go well, but it'll be a fun attempt regardless.

Glory to the letter K!

As the man whose names both start with K, I fully support this plan, and am the obvious choice to lead us to victory over the non-K heathens.

Well then... I've, evidently, some documents to revisit!

One of us... One of us?

We shall follow you to victory, most noble leader.

@Zeee

Do we know each other, or are we all coming in as strangers?

I'm happy to start building background with people if it's the former, but I don't want to spoil it if it's the later.

From my point, and the knowledge regarding the Kaito, unless anyone has visited Phoenix lands it's unlikely Makoto would have met anyone else. The Shrine Keepers are a rare sight out of Phoenix lands, as they concern themselves primarily with tending to the various temples and shrines within said lands. Very rarely they'll leave to go on pilgrimages.

I remember reading somewhere that the Phoenix Clan Champion has started using them as spiritual investigators as well, to look into issues of imbalance across the Empire, but I can't say with 100% certainty on that one.

All that said, if anyone does think their character has been through Phoenix lands, and would have reason to visit this or that temple(and assuming such former relationships are expected/encouraged), I'm not against working something out.

See?  This lady gets it!

And Hachi, no idea,   Granted, Chihiro and I already went and cobbled together basic together.  Worse comes to worse, we can scrap it, but generally speaking, I've never found that some connections with other PCs to be a bad thing.  Gives folks a reason to co-operate beyond that 'PC Glow' as it were.

Makoto, Kashin has certainly traveled to the Phoenix's lands, but again, he's entirely coastal, and more than a little shady (though he does do plenty of legitimate business as a cover), so it might be a little bit harder.  That said, sailors are a superstitious lot, so I could easily see him visiting a suitably appropriate shrine before a voyage or the like.

We do have a whole lotta K.

In reply to Kasuga Kashin (msg # 92):

Yep! More connections the better. Though in Makoto's case, I don't feel Chihiro has probably roamed that far up the coast from Scorpion lands as most of her lords anxieties revolve around the Lion and Crane.

Welcome brother!  As the second best double K player, your can be my right hand during the glorious revolution!

As an aside my Crab friend, what school did you end up with, Kaiu or Yasuki?

It occurs to me that I don't actually know anything about the Tortoise Clan, other than that I'd assume they were one of the minor ones.

A lot of covert trading expeditions and stealthy shipments is generally what they get up to. All of course, legitimately sanctioned... By someone. Somewhere. Someone important, naturally.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Thu 20 Aug 2020.

The Tortoise Clan is super duper weird. Technically, in the Imperial histories, they're the personal servants of the Emperor, and the Clan built around the Kami Hantei. However, they've always played second fiddle to the Imperial Families (who technically serve the Imperial Throne, not the descendants of the Kami like the Great Clans). As such, they've basically devolved into a band of low-lives and semi-criminals, using their monopoly on the docks of the Imperial capital to extort the Crane, Mantis, and Yasuki, and run protection rackets throughout Otosan Uchi.

In reality, they were the crime syndicate running Otosan Uchi when it became the capital of the Empire, and now they're used by the Imperials to do all the shady shit Imperial honor doesn't allow, and can't be outsourced to the Scorpion or Ikoma, including conducting a swift trade in gaij- hey look at that dog!

They actually become integral to the Mantis Alliance during the Clan Wars because they were the only minor clan with a formalized courtier school and ties to Imperial Families and almost (and in my opinion should have because their daimyo had just been exploded by demons) swore allegiance to the Mantis after the Clan Wars.

And that's precisely how we like it Makoto-sama!

Well said Chihiro-sama!  At best that's likely what I imagine most people know about them.  Assuming they even know we exist at all.

Miho-sama is of course quite correct.  Officially of course we exist to guard the Empire against the influence of the Gaijin so that there is never another White Stag (stop blowing up the Empress with cannons damnit!), and thus, we are the only samurai authorized to conduct trade with those foreign devils.  Granted, nobody really knows that bit except the Emperor and the Tortoise.  And that's about it, full stop.  Like, there's a decent chance even the Emerald Champion doesn't know.

And thus, we're simply a minor clan who cares for the walls of the Imperial City, and does some sketchy stuff on the side.  Okay really it should be the other way around, but hey.  That said, it really does beg the question, why are they even tolerated?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Thu 20 Aug 2020.

So... at this point(with the rollback of time, space and continuity), they're basically yakuza hiding as a legit family, running around performing whatever criminal acts the imperial family needs doing while also making as much money as they can because why not?

They're probably tolerated the same reason anything else is technically tolerated. For good or ill, money talks, and when there's support, at least nominally, from the Imperial families then there's a lot you can get away with.

Not to say that anyone else would tolerate them longer than they'd have to. But please, sama is too much for one such as me. The Kaito, though elevated to a full Phoenix clan family, haven't been so for too long. We are still so very small compared to so many others.

It's also probably not a level of villainy that requires the dedication of the Scorpion or at least cannot be deemed safe to entrust to the Scorpion, anyway.

More or less.  Though again, it should be noted that they take the whole watching the gaijin thing super seriously.

Money, for sure.  War isn't cheap after all!  And heh, there's complete and total support, and from the highest levels no less.  So when early attempts to quash the clan failed, the Great Clans just ignored them, like they tend to do with minor clans in general.

Yeah, they're kindred spirit with the Scorpion, and share methods, but they're also very very different.  It's an interesting dichotomy.

The common view of the Tortoise (from those who are in Otosan Uchi enough to even know they exist) is that they mostly don't do anything, and what they do get up to is insulting to the term samurai. The Tortoise are dishonorable but in a distinctly low class sort of way. If the Scorpion are The Godfather, the Tortoise are the Sopranos- sitting around the back room of a strip club playing poker.

No, the Mantis are the Sopranos. The Tortoise are more like a street crew in The Wire.

I'm assuming a Crane who has spent the last few years in Crab Territory in the Port Town of Sunda Mizu Muza would not have heard of the Tortoise then?

I dunno, the Yasuki interact with the Tortoise somewhat frequently- they ship a lot of material to the capital. Hachi might have picked up some of their complaints or interactions with the Kasuga. Probably up to you.

I'd planned on having Miho know the Tortoise (at least what's publicly known) because of her expertise in Imperial law.

Pretty much Miho!  And hey, I'm all about The Wire!  Being a street crew means that I don't have someone constantly looking over my shoulder telling me what to do!

And Hachi, it honestly feels like a combination of circumstances and skills.  First, you'd have to be in a situation where you'd run into them (or, as Miho said, someone dealing with them).  Then you'd need the requisite skills.  And by skills, I largely mean Culture, as that's the one that "covers knowledge of the Emerald Empire’s customs, traditions, families, trends, geography, and practices."

To me, a good Culture score would be knowing about the Tortoise and their practices, a good Government score would allow you to know that they're protected somehow, from somewhere really high.  But just my two cents, I'm not running things.

~scans sheet~

"Tortoise you say, never heard of them"

Its ok, Kakita-Sama. We can be ignorant of the Tortiose together.

Hello everyone, crab clan courtier here. I have a pretty good idea where I am going with Yasuki Rohata, but I always like to go though the 20 questions before I finalize my character.

I was hoping to have established myself in court for a little while, so if you are a local, I would be willing to chat pm about some kind of connection.

Rohata is famously successful for getting things done for his clients. He takes payment in money, secrets, and favors. Just don't ask too many questions about how the job is done.

Heads up everyone, I need 3 days for a personal matter.  My mother had a surgery in one of her eyes, and then insisted she could take care of herself, only to fall down and twist her knee pretty badly.  She's been at my house and I've found it hard to get online to play games.  Come Monday she'll have someone able to assist her while she recovers at her home, but in the meantime it's on me.

Come Tuesday I'll be on daily.

Oh good lord, I'm glad she's alright-ish.  Hang in there, and take care of your family, it's far more important than this.  We'll see you when you get back.

As someone who normally plays characters against archetypes, but really wanted to play an archtypical Crane Duelist for this game, I am super excited to see this character in action.

Take all the time you need Zeee.

As I announced in my other games, but hadn't needed to here because we hadn't started yet, I'm currently a refugee from all the fires in CA.  Pretty sure my house is smoldering ash right now, but we probably won't know for weeks.  I'm lucky enough to have friends who can put the spouse (and the cat) and I up in a spare room several cities over, and who like us enough that there isn't a ticking clock on wearing out our welcome.

Be safe everyone.

I've got family in that neck of the woods mate, and they're all talking about how horrible things are.  Glad to hear that you're safe, because things can be replaced, people can't.

Welcome Rohata!  Can't wait to see the Crane vs. Crab action in court, especially given that you're a former Crane family!  The Yasuki are wonderful, a personal favorite of mine among courtier schools.

That said, if you want to talk character tie-ins to a dirty smuggling Tortoise, I'd be happy to!  After all, samurai who are little better than merchants should hang out together.

I hope everyone holds up ok!



Welcome, as well! The Yasuki are also one of my favorite families, up there with the Yogo and Akodo. Then again, there aren't a lot of groups in L5R that I don't think are great.

No Lion, no Dragon, interesting.

Don't think I've ever played with a Lion.

But... don't we have a Kitsuki? Pretty sure that's a Dragon Family.

Oh nice!

So every one of the major Clans but a Lion.

Lion is always a good time though there's that strange line in the sand of just how insufferable you can be about honourable conduct lol.

I personally liked playing an Akodo Ronin during their temporary disgrace.

WE LIVE AGAIN!

Also, excellent movie. We applaud your choice sir.

Anyone need anything as far as wrapping up their characters goes?

I finished my sheet, just been a bit busy to transfer all the data onto RPol, and then everything was down over the weekend. I should be good to go now though after final approval. Although I'm a bit all over the place.
My character's a Kitsuki Investigator that really wanted to be a monk.

Does the character inspire you?

That's why I ended up going with a classic archetype, I tried to do something fancy and just didn't have enough points even with the bonus 50.  So I simplified into an archtypical Crane Duelist for a character concept I'd wanted to give a try (since I first heard of Lot5R way back in the 3.0 DnD Rules Conversion).

Sometimes we try and get too fancy and end up muddying the waters too much.

Some of it is muddled, but the core character still inspires me.
I think most of my advantages and disadvantages gives it a cohesive whole. My skills aren't exactly at the level I was originally thinking, but they make RP sense to me, and I think it'll be fun this way.

I did some research into the early days of L5R when I first discovered it in 4e. You've played throughout the whole changing plotline ever since DnD? Did you play the card game too?

The L5R 2nd Edition core book was actually the first non-D&D RPG thing I ever bought. The School pages were full color, high gloss pages- they were amazing. And literally the first time I opened it up... the spine shattered and all of those pages fell out. It was devastating.

I think my first run in with the lore was that somewhat awful DnD 3.5 book they had. It wasnt a very good representation at all, but I remember it mentioning that the setting was a borrowed one, and my hunt sort of went from there.

I eventually ran into other peoples stories regarding their adventures in the setting, but never got around to picking up any books until 5th edition came around. A bit of a shame, really, but I do enjoy the setting quite a bit.

Zeee, you kicking?

I have made prayers to the kami and bribed the proper officials to insure that this game does not die before it gets started.

I continue to keep an eye on the game, as I'd dearly love to get mixed into the mayhem. ;)

Hi all.  I'm just writing to let you know what happened.  My wife is a nurse, and she deals with patients that are immune compromised in a top end hospital.  I'm a knuckle dragger that lucked out in life, married her, and has his own business that can afford to stay at home.  We had started to have a lull in corona virus cases when I started this game up, she was back to living in the house rather than the camper we have outside, and I thought it was great we were getting back to normal.

Kids were still taking online classes, but my time had freed up a smidge.  I was no longer the only parent in the house taking care of two kids, 3 dogs, and managing my business.  Then the cases started to tick up, she was being asked to quarantine again.  And we had to figure out a solution for her camper situation in Canadian winter, but luckily we found a solution with a couple nursing friends.  Everything went tits up for me however at home, and that's where I am right now.  Kids are still online, christmas is a skype call, and I don't know how single parents do it. Plus side is I have run some D&D games for my kids for the first time, and we've done a ton of board games.

I probably won't be back into rpol until March or June from what I understand, and I'll see who is up for this game then.  Otherwise I'm fine, and hope you all are managing this mess well enough.  Happy holidays.  I'm glad to see 2020 behind us, and here's hoping 2021 is better for all for us.  Cheers.

Glad to hear you and yours are alright.

See you when you are back man, be safe and be well.

Howdy mate!  I'm sorry to hear that life has been rough, but trust me, I totally get it.  Trying to parent a pair of toddlers while teaching virtually has been no walk in the park believe you me.  And the wife, much like yours, works in healthcare.

See everyone in the new year, and hang in there folks!

Glad to hear you're all fine, just keep on taking care and we'll be here when we can pick up from where we left off.

Best of luck, oh Sun and Moon. No worries about the waiting, I'll still be around, patiently waiting for you. I'm nothing if not patient, and I do look forward to getting the chance to explore the interactions between everyone. Best of luck!

That said... and probably because I've had so long and more opportunity to lore dive and understand what exactly Rokugani culture is like I've suddenly realized how very... different... Makoto's interpretation and understanding of Sincerity is compared to the Phoenix Clan as a whole... which leaves me with trying to figure out where to stick an extra point in a skill I don't already have, since that's the reward for being the weird one out. And of course how to tie that into her not believing one should renege on one's word for the Greater Good.

Not to mention realizing that a high Theology does me absolutely no good, and having to move around some points there... oh boy, this is going to be fun. Someone needs to take away my right to second guess myself.

I've been back for a couple of weeks now, but I've been hard pressed to find the inspiration to restart this.

I'm going to leave this game up for a week, if people still need to grab something from here, before I delete it.

Glad as always to hear that you and yours are okay.

I'll take everything I need tongiht.