for Out of Character discussion

Okay, here were my rolls for the Heritage.  I spent two CP to make 3 total rolls.  I rearranged the rolls here to group them together with the rolls each went with.

20:04, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 6 using 1d10. Heritage Roll 1.
20:05, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 3 using 1d10. Distinguished Past Roll 1.
20:06, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 5 using 1d10. Battle Veteran Roll 1.

20:04, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 6 using 1d10. Heritage Roll 2.
20:09, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 7 using 1d10. Distinguished Past Roll 2.
20:09, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 6 using 1d10. Glorious Death Roll 2.
20:09, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 2 using 1d10. Great Battles Roll 2.
20:09, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 9 using 1d10. Killed In Battle Roll 2.
20:10, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 1 using 1d10. Bonus to Glory Roll 2.

20:05, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 6 using 1d10. Heritage Roll 3.
20:14, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 4 using 1d10. Distinguished Ancestor Roll 3.
20:14, Today: Kakita Ukyo rolled 7 using 1d10. Great Battles Roll 3.

So here's what I have so far for my Iaijutsu Duelist:

Name: Kakita Ukyo    Clan: Crane    School: Kakita Bushi

Rank: 2   Insight: 163

Rings:         Traits:

Earth: 3       Stamina: 3
               Willpower: 3

Water: 2       Strength: 2
               Perception: 2

Fire: 3        Agility: 4
               Intelligence: 3

Air: 2         Reflexes: 4
               Awareness: 2

Void: 4


Skills         Emphases        Ranks      |      Advantages     Disadvantages
Etiquette                        2               Quick           Bad Health
Iaijutsu                         6                               Driven (Prove
Kenjutsu       (Katana)          2                               worthy to
Kyujutsu                         1                               family)
Defense                          5
Meditation     (Void Recovery)   3
Tea Ceremony                     1
Athletics                        2
Lore: Shadowlands                1
Battle                           2

Kata: Striking as Earth
Techniques: The Way of the Crane, The Sudden Strike

Roll to Attack is 9k4
Defense (unarmored) of 25
Init is 7k4 + 10
Glory 1.1
Honor 3.5
Status 1


Does this look okay?  I haven't made a character in this game before so it's all new to me.  Any suggestions?  Did I make him weak?  Strong?  Average?  I was trying to make him somewhat well rounded but still be quite good in a Duel.  Did I hit my goal?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Sun 04 Feb 2007.

Clarification: She doesn't show her shoulders, but this was the closest portrait i could find to what I was going for. So: Use your imagination to think she's got full kimono on :P

I'm just putting the finishing touches on Sakura right now. I think she'll be a fun part of this campaign ...

Out of curiosity ... these characters know each other, right?

Sakura's public history: she was once the daughter of a minor Daidoji vassal family, however her family was destroyed in a raid on the outlying village. The sole survivor of that bandit raid, she was adopted into the main line, ostensibly because of her "fierce bravery" but in reality because of her "fierce beauty". Anyone who knows her well will realize that she takes the Daidoji motto, "we do what must be done", very seriously. Anyone who knows her very well will probably have heard her reveal knowledge of an "unsavory sort" on rare occasions.

Sakura is a self-taught Shugenja who communes with the Kami through song. Her adopted family was so busy trying to arrange a "suitable match" that they almost missed her talents.

Sakura is an incredibly talented musician, and while not quite as good as a Courtier she's also a very good orator.

Sakura's private history: Really Shosuro Kasumi, she was trained in the Soshi Shugenja schools specifically for her role -- that of a "Deep Cover" Scorpion agent. She is an idealistic Scorpion who takes her job seriously: protect the Honorable from that which they cannot see.

Everyone considers her a Daidoji (the small tattoo on her wrist helps) at this point and she does her best to make sure no one questions her allegiances.

Konichiwa Crane-samas,

While technically one isn't supposed to ask about a monk's background, seeing as Musashi is a former Crane samurai who still owes obligations to certain Crane while having Moderately influential & loyal Crane Allies... it is possible that people might know something about Musashi.

He was originally born Asahina Musashi, the eldest of 2 sons to the respected shugenja sensei Asahina Takezo.  Asahina Takezo lent his healing to the defenders of Kyuden Doji during the Clan War & died bravely in the breech of the East Wall by the Crane Clan during the siege of Otosan Uchi on the Second Day of Thunder.

Sadly, despite his wish to follow his father's footsteps, it was his brother Asahina Yoshitaka who could commune with the Kami but not Musashi.  In honor of his late father's pacifist beliefs, Musashi chose not to take up the sword of a bushi.  Musashi did not feel that the life of a Courtier led to the Path of Enlightenment and thus he was able to persuade his Daimyo to grant him permission to become a Monk.  However as his own feelings on martial discipline were not quite as strong as his father's pacifism, Musashi chose to enter the Temple of Osano-Wo to become a Sohei.

Musashi is quite skilled in Jiujutsu and knows several Kiho.  He is also a fairly decent Instructor in Jiujutsu.  He has in fact returned to Crane lands to follow his father's path as a Sensei.  He hopes to pass on the wisdom of the Tao as well as the respect for the Fortunes (in particular Osano-Wo, the Fortune of Fire & Thunder) as both a teacher & a spiritual advisor.

Question: Would any of the Crane PCs be interested in having Musashi as a sensei and/or an advisor (perhaps arranged either as part of Musashi's Obligation or by his Crane Allies)?

Oh and it might be known that there is a particular Togashi Tatooed Monk named Togashi Seijuro who was beaten in a Jiujutsu Tournament held in Crane lands who carries something of a "nasty grudge" against poor Musashi.  ;)

Naru, Naru, Naru...

Naru is young for a Courtier so accomplished. Few can match her knowledge of Etiquette and she is accomplished as a Calligrapher, in the field of Origami, and her flower arrangements are some of the best to come from Castle Doji...

But the one thing she isn't yet is married. With the chaos of recent years there hasn't been much thought put into it. With peace now in Rokugan it looks like that will change, but not until her parents feel ready.

Naru is an expert at navigating the intrigues of Rokugani court, telling better half truths out of sincerity than the best Scorpian liars. She is intelligent, erudite, cultured... She is the perfect wife it would seem. Now if she can just be kept on a short leash until they find her a husband...

Perhaps I could use you in such a capacity.  Seeing as I am so new to L5R, it wouldn't be just my character that you're advising.  ;)

Perhaps there's a way to tie him to Ukyo by way of his frail health.  By advising and teaching him in areas other than fighting he is helping to round him out into an even more distinguished, well-rounded samurai.  Perhaps this was done via an obligation.  Maybe one of Ukyo's instructors at the academy saw how hard he worked and knew his situation, and that instructor was someone you owed the obligation to.  He cashed it in by asking you to help me.

Just a thought off the top of my head.  :)

For my background, I have come up with this so far:

Kakita Ukyo has a lot to live up to.  His ancestors have all been distinguished, well known heroes of battle, in particular they have fought in the Battles of White Stag (where his ancestor died a glorious death, fighting bravely to save his comrades), the Cresting Wave, and the Sleeping River.  Every male of his family is born and trained in the arts of war and is expected to uphold the family tradition of great prowess in battle.

Then Ukyo was born.  His health was frail from the start.  Many believed he wouldn't survive infancy.  If nothing else, Ukyo is a fighter.  His family looked upon him with shame, as they believed he would not be able to uphold the family's martial tradition.  Seeing as he was the eldest, their fears may not have been unfounded.

Ukyo persevered and managed to secure a place in the Kakita Dueling academy, becoming an accomplished swordsman, known for his quickness, despite his frail health.  Yet in spite of that, his family was still not convinced.  He is driven to prove to them that he is good enough to uphold the family tradition as eldest son.  He believes that by adhering to Bushido, and honing his skills even further, he will attain the Glory and Honor he seeks to show his family that he is not worthless.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Sun 04 Feb 2007.

Well Ukyo, I'm certainly open to your suggestion.  ;)

Actually one of Musashi's Kiho is Chi Protection, which is something of a "healing kiho".  Also I'm considering taking at least a couple of ranks in Medicine.

Of course Musashi's current Instruction is in Jiujutsu... for some reason you can't use Instruction without taking Emphases!  Just by Ranks, I could probably teach Meditation and/or Defense (or even Instruction!) but buying a 2nd & 3rd Empahsis is just too costly right now.

It is odd that Instruction is the only skill that can't be used without taking Emphases (basically buying Instruction alone seems useless?).  ;(

Sachi is recently returned from his musha shugyo.  Might it be possible to have met Musashi during his travels as well?

Sachi has an obligation that is yet undefined and working with you sounds like a good way to place it into the game.

Certainly Sachi, I'm sure that Musashi is reasonably well traveled and he would have considerably respect for a samurai on a Musha Shugyo (in a way his joining of the Order of Osano-Wo is something of a "life long musha shugyo" for Musashi).

So I am certainly open to that idea.  ;)

If I might make a few suggestions?

First off, by my calculations, you actually have a higher Insight.
140 (Rings) +25 (Skill Ranks) +4 (Rank 5 Skill Mastery for Iaijutsu & Defense)= 169

You probably don't need Defense at 5.  You get to add Defense to your TN to be Hit at Rank 3.  The extra +2 isn't probably worth the 9 CP/XP you spend to raise Defense from 3 to 5... at least not right now.

Also you probably don't need Iaijutsu at 6 right now since you gain the Mastery Abilities at Rank 5 and again the added die for 6 CP probably isn't needed.

If you lower Defense to 3 & Iaijutsu to 5, you get 9+6= 15 CP/XP back just to start with.  I really think you should consider raising your Awareness to Rank-3.  Not only is Awarness an important skill for an Iaijutsu Duelist (after all, it is involved in evaluating your opponent, the better the Awareness/Iaijutsu roll the more info you get and the better choice you can make for what Trait/Ring your opponent has to use)... BUT... it'll raise your Air Ring to 3, giving you +10 Insight (at the cost of only 5 Insight from the lost ranks of skills & the last Rank 5 Mastery for Defense).

This will put you at 174 Insight... only +1 Insight more and you're Rank-3!! ;)

What is more, since it only costs 12 CP to raise Awareness to Rank-3, you still have +3 CP/XP to spend from lowering Defense to Rank-3 & Iaijutsu to Rank-5.

Basically all you need to do is either buy a new skill at Rank-1 or raise an existing skill by 1 rank... and you're at Insight 175 which is Rank-3 (and thus you gain your Rank-3 School Technique).

What you do with the 3 CP is up to you.  If you bought a new skill at rank-1 for 1 CP, you could afford a 2 CP Kata or a 2 CP Advantage or buy a skill emphasis for 2 CP (just to name a few ideas for CP/XP spending).

FYI: I'm not sure if you're aware of the Errata but in the 3rd Edition book there is an error for the Kakita Bushi School.  Etiquette is listed twice.  One of those Etiquettes is supposed to be Meditation.

According to the AEG L5R Story Team Lead, the correct skill list for Kakita Bushi is:

Thanks for the suggestions.  Defense was originally purchased to 3, but my Heritage roll bumped it to 5 (2 skill points in a Crab school skill).  Good suggestions though, I think I'll make the changes you suggested.

Ahh... then this may make things a little trickier.  Since the 4th & 5th ranks of Defense aren't bought with CP/XP... then when you lower Defense to 3 (by 1 rank with 1 CP & +2 for Heritage)... you'll only get back the CP/XP for ranks 2 & 3... namely 5 CP.

If you lower Iaijutsu to 5 you get back 6 CP.  This means you'll have only 11 CP rather than 15 CP.

So you'll need to make a few more "adjustments" to make Rank-3.

First you need 1 CP more to get the 12 CP to raise Awareness to rank 3 (as an Iaijutsu Duelist, I really do recommend this and not just for the Air Ring increase but because Awarness is useful both for Duels & for social situations).

Then you'll need to free up a few more CP to get the 175 Insight (which I think is worth it since it looks like most of the PCs are going to be starting at Rank-3).

The ways that you can do this are: 1. Look over the Disadvantages and see if any others fit your character concept.  2. Consider reducing Etiquette or Meditation or Atheletics or Battle (unless they also are coming from your Heritage rolls).  3. Consider not taking the Void Recovery Emphasis (at least not right now).

Again just some suggestions to consider.  ;)

Speaking of Erratta ...

Okay, given that the GM can override anything:

Re: Heritage Tables.

In the Erratta they give an example using heritage tables. The short version is that the Heritage results are rolled before character creation and, therefore, applied before creation as well. So, a Kakita Bushi who's school lists "Defense 1" would start with a defense of 3. And, just to really screw things up a bit these added two ranks do count against maximums.

So, the defense from 3 to 5 would have had to be XP anyway.

Don't worry, I'm a bit confused myself.

Personally, I've never liked heritage tables -- they seemed to penalize those who create detailed conceptions.

Musashi-San:

I can think of a few things you might be helping Sakura with, actually. One of the things on her "to learn" list is Jiujitsu (or Jujutsu, or whatever ...), and she does a lot of meditation. I'm assuming that he could help with "Void Building" exercises, ne? Sakura is going to need a lot of void!

She's a lot more interested in such things than one might guess based on her honor (or lack thereof ...).

Well Musashi is certainly qualified to teach/Instruct Jiujutsu.  ;)  Technically Musashi has enough ranks in Meditation (including the Void Recovery Emphasis) to teach it... but since you can only teach/Instruct skills for which you have the Instruction Emphasis... Musashi will have to wait a bit to teach Meditation.

Musashi's strongest Ring happens to be Void, so he should be good in teaching that.

What is more... I am taking the "Brotherhood Wayfinder" path/Technique at Rank-2, so he can even lend Void aid to other people's skill uses.  ;)

As for Heritage Tables... I've always assumed that with my luck I would end up rolling badly and get stuck with negative background problems that I'd have to weave into my PC's background.  It is much easier to work in positive Heritage but negative Heritage can really screw one over.

So I tend to prefer keeping "chance" out of character creation if possible.  ;)

However if others want to risk it, well that's their choice.

I've always found that heritage tables are best for roll-players who know how to build characters but aren't as sure how to create a detailed background for their characters, for people who aren't intimately familiar with the setting and need some ideas to jump start their character creation, and for people who just like the flavor the Heritage tables add to their characters

Please understand (everyone)... I am not knocking the Heritage Tables.  I can understand people liking to use them and that's cool.

I was just saying that I'm pretty much unfamiliar with them because I always hate letting chance dictate the "baggage" my PC will have to carry around.  But that's just my personal preference.  ;)

I didn't mean to come across as negative towards the use of Heritage Tables in general.

I have always loved lifepath tables.  I don't know why.  I can make a detailed hook heavy character background on my own, but I like the randomnes sof lifepath.  Afterall... when we're born, we didn't get to choose what our family history was.  The element of randomness simulates that.  Of course, maybe I just like to gamble.  i guess I lucked out on having all distinguished ancestors in major battles.  :)

Hiya guys, just letting you know am the next lucky player to join this game. Looking forward to playing alongside all you guys.
I've still got a few character details to sort out but basically, Doji Fumimaro is a rich, high standing young man who was trained in the Kakita Bushi school but still retains skills from his Doji family heritage. My character is cool, calm and collected, never appearing to lose his temper. He is useful in both social and combat situations. This character will be quite a change for me as im used to playing a Matsu beserker and a Tsurichi archer so we shall see how my new roll turns out. lol :-)

I've found a portrait for my character (Just ignore the pointy ears!) It was the only one i could find with the typical Crane white hair and that looked right.

Welcome to the game Fumimaro.  ;)

So that makes the current lineup:

1 Kakita; 1 Kakita Bushi (Ukyo)
2 Dojis; 1 Doji Courtier (Naruhime) & our 2nd Kakita Bushi (Fumimaro)
2 Daidojis; 1 "Soshi" Shugenja (Sakura) & 1 Daidoji Yojimbo (Sachi) [at least I think that's right for Sachi]
1 former Asahina; 1 Osano-Wo Monk (Musashi, me! ;)

Does that look right?

Heh.  Someone else said they were making a Daidoji Yojimbo, so I changed myself around.  Went with more of a duelist bent.  :)

Oh?  Who was that?  Did I miss someone?

I thought I listed everyone on the Cast List but maybe we're missing someone from the Discussion thread?

That would give us 3 Duelists... at least Sakura & Naruhime will have their pick of champions should either of them get challenged to a duel by a bushi.  ;)

Who is waterproof salamander?  That was the one mentioning Daidoji Yojimbo.

Not an issue.  I have a great ability to protect someone now, given I have a chance to watch people for a while.

Actually, I like the different ability the build gives me.  Slightly different methods, but potentially good ones as well.  :)


So that makes the corrected current lineup:

1 Kakita; 1 Kakita Bushi (Ukyo)
2 Dojis; 1 Doji Courtier (Naruhime) & our 2nd Kakita Bushi (Fumimaro)
2 Daidojis; 1 "Soshi" Shugenja (Sakura) & 1 Daidoji Duelist (Sachi)
1 former Asahina; 1 Osano-Wo Monk (Musashi)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Wed 07 Feb 2007.

Well, since we're all bein' this obvious, here's Sakura's background story. There are a couple minor changes (i.e. she now has some spells as innate abilities), but overall it works.

BTW, Musashi-San I realized that Sakura also needs to learn a few Kiho. As for Void exercises I wouldn't think you need instruction for that (though it is a GM call ...). I think it would be more like leading through exercises, similar to the way that a Personal Fitness Trainer would help by leading through exercises.

----------------------------------

Daidoji Sakura (Shosuro Kasumi)
Part I

Daidoji Shinkenichi stopped his steed at the crest of the hill. The small village ahead of them was nestled in the mountains and seemed to be of little value. The Daidoji family had given this village to a lesser vassal to govern because it was considered to be too insignificant to be governed by a "true samurai".

So why were bandits attacking.

Shinkenichi cautiously peered into the horrible sight. The village burned brightly into the night, the stench of flesh rising to meet the patrol. Those bodies that were not consumed by the fire littered the street, Samurai and Eta lying together in a gruesome quilt of death. The bandits roamed the streets, pillaging and plundering, but a small group concentrated itself on the stream side by the city's center. The bandits were laughing and chattering, taking turns jabbing their sticks at something in the center. Shinkenichi's eyes widened at the spectacle -- the "something" in the center was a very attractive Crane Samurai-Ko. Though drastically outnumbered, she was doing her best to fend them off with her Naginata. It was clear to Shinkenichi that she was alive because they found her amusing. When the bandits tired of their little game they would undoubtedly find a more dishonorable way to bide their time ...

Shinkenichi called on the wind spirits to aid in their silent charge and the small band of Daidoji crashed into the Bandits with all the fury of a hurricane. The bandits were soon routed and Shinkenichi's troops pursued them with vengeance. Now at the center of the town, Shinkenichi got his first look at the young girl who was moments ago being so brave. Her chestnut eyes peered out from under her grime-covered face.

"Doumo Arigatou Gozaimashita" she said bowing low.

Shinkenichi didn't have to ask about her family. As the sole survivor, he knew that her family was dead. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with her, but he instinctively knew that her beauty would come to good use for the clan. Perhaps they could arrange to have her married to a minor Imperial ...

"Think nothing of it" he replied sympathetically. "What is your name?"

"Sakura" the girl replied quietly.

"Well, Sakura-Chan, take what you need. We'll be departing shortly. When the small group finally departed, no one noticed the shadowy figure steal off toward Scorpion lands ...

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shosuro Kaze walked into Kyuden Shosuro and bowed low to his lord. The mission had gone well -- no one had ever suspected that the "bandits" were actually Scorpion samurai. "My Lord" he began, "Kasumi has been inserted with the Daidoji."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Daidoji Sakura
Part II

Sakura sat in the garden listening to her adoptive family argue her fate as her younger brother practiced his Kata. Such things were normally quite interesting to the children being affected, but Sakura had long ago lost interest in the ritual arguments. Her uncle, the eldest of that generation, and her father had been playing court games trying to get her to follow the path that they had chosen for a couple years now, and the game had grown boring for Sakura. She was now far behind in her studies and no matter what they chose for her she would be too busy studying to be of any real use. While others her age were already assisting the professionals, Sakura was being kept too busy showing off for prospective husbands. It seemed that marriage was the only thing the brothers agreed on. Both wanted to use her beauty to make her part of the Imperial Family.

It would give them better connections.

Sakura sighed softly as the ritual argument began afresh. "She will be a Courtier!" her father boomed. "Nonsense!" her uncle retorted, "with her voice she must be with the artisans!" This year, once again, her training would suffer as she was shuttled back and forth between the Academy and Courtiers in between the many meetings with powerful prospective husbands.

"Good Morning!"

The voice of her uncle, Daidoji Yamanoke, the youngest of his generation, cut through the garden like a bell. Of all the brothers he was the most likable and the most respected. He had attended the Asahina Shugenja school and, unlike the others, had taken their pacifistic spirit as a position of strengh.

"Yamanoke!" her father demanded, "what is your opinion of the matter? Which will provide a better husband for Sakura -- courtier training or artisan training?" Yamanoke chuckled at the question and sat down on the grass with them.

"It seems to me" said Yamanoko watching Sakura, "that her skills will be secondary to her beauty." The two older brothers grunted their disaproval at the suggestion.

"Every advantage counts!"

'Look at that' Sakura thought to herself, 'something else they agree on.'

A servant came running up to Sakura, a large pouch in her hand. Bowing low, the servant gave the pouch to Sakura and scampered away. A slow smile crossed Sakura's lips as she regarded the pouch. 'the debate ends today' she thought to herself as she drew a scroll from the pouch. Sakura stretched the scroll out so that she could easily read it and then she began to sing softly, communing with the kami of air. Air spells were easy for her. She almost didn't need the scrolls, but she had yet to completely memorize the spells.

'soon. I'll have them memorized soon ...'

Visibly perplexed, Yamanoke looked over at his niece as she sang. The air kami seemed to dance and sway before her as she sang, hanging on her every breath. Yamanoke concentrated on her, attempting to drown out the arguments of his brothers. Yes, she was indeed communing with that kami ...

"She is a Shugenja" Yamanoke interrupted calmly.

"What!?!" The surprise that his brothers shared was obvious and genuine. "There is no way that I can allow her to train with the Kami!" Sakura's father shouted. "What good would that do us in the courts!?!" retorted his oldest brother.

"You both misunderstand me" Yamanoke replied still staring at Sakura. "I did not say she should be a shugenja. I said that she is a shugenja." It was then that the older brothers noticed what he was staring at. The wind appeared to be dancing with her soft voice, carrying leaves and dust upwards and dropping them in time with the music. The elder brothers' jaws dropped.

"I have never seen this kind of magic" Yamanoke continued, "she seems to come by it naturally." Yamanoke then turned towards his brothers. "I assure you, brothers, this will come in quite useful. A girl of this talent may even interest the Seppun Shugenja Academy."

The older brothers stared after Sakura a bit longer. The Seppun Shugenja Academy. The sole magical protectors of the Emperor himself. The only ones that were able to wield magic freely in the presence of the Son of Heaven. Such power had been considered unattainable and undreamable in this little corner of the family.

Until now.

Sakura's smile widened to one of joy. They had never asked her what she was good at, they had all assumed that she was untrained. It was true that she had a natural affinity with the air kami, they understood each other very well, but she was not, as they believed, "untrained".

'So much the better' she though to herself, 'it makes my cover that much more believable. But there is one downside to all of this.'

A bit sad, Sakura looked upward as she sang, focusing on the hawk soaring above her. It had always given her a sense of freedom when she worked with the falcons. Now that the family had come to a decision, they would no longer be arguing. That meant she could no longer sneak off and help train the falcons ...

"Yamanoke, why don't you tutor her?" her father asked politely. "Maybe she can catch up and then attend the Asahina School with you."

"Sure. I'll start right away."

There was silence from the oldest brother. The air was thick as the two stared at their oldest brother. Finally Yamanoke broke the tension. "What did you do, brother?"

"I kind of promised to send her on a small errand in a couple weeks ..."

'Of course' Sakura thought to herself as she watched her brother. 'That's so typical of him ...'

Not that's it is important but by Daidoji Duelist, do you mean Sachi is from one of the Daidoji bushi schools or did he attend the Kakita Bushi School?  I'm just curious.  ;)

I imagine (if most of the PCs are roughly the same age) that if Ukyo, Fumimaro & Sachi all attended the Kakita Bushi School (ie. the Kakita Dueling Academy) then they would most likely know each other pretty well (ie. being peers & probably sparring partners).

In fact... if Sachi met & traveled with Musashi around the Empire while Sachi was on his Musha Shugyo, then perhaps it was Sachi who introduced Musashi to Sachi's old "school chum" & fellow duelist Ukyo (thus being the catalyst for linking Musashi with Ukyo as Ukyo's "advisor")?

Just an idea to consider.  ;)

Ronin Duelist...but Sachi is no ronin, hence just duelist.  :)

However, I might entertain the idea of Sachi having attended the Kakita bushi school before going on his Musha Shugyo.

I am not sure though, would that require me to find 10 cp for the Multiple Schools advantage?  If so, it would likely drop me to rank2 for a while.  Though, it IS a likely path and would give some nice benefits too.

If it doesn require Multiple Schools, I will be taking a closer look at it.

Well seeing as the Ronin Schools don't require the Different School Advantage, I could see where they wouldn't need the Multiple School Advantage either (but you're right, there's nothing in the book one way or the other about Multiple Schools vis-a-vis Ronin Schools).

After all, the Ronin "Schools" aren't technically really "schools or dojos" in the formal sense but rather individuals who either teach themselves or find a fellow ronin to pass on the techniques.

Given the Musha Shugyo, it would make sense that Sachi would pick up "ronin habits" & training since he wasn't home & couldn't train at the school dojo.

It would be interesting to see how your old school chums react when Sachi returns with "heretical" dueling techniques/instructions.  ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:59, Wed 07 Feb 2007.

The more I think about it the more I like that idea.  Watching some Cranes go into a state of shock over Sachi's fighting style sounds... fun.

If, I can get some input from the GM on the Multiple Schools question, I'll be finished up pretty quick.


Sachi is 24.  How old is Ukyo?  It'll help know how Sachi and Ukyo knew each other I think.  It may be that Sachi left before Ukyo was fully accepted or that they knew each other as equals...

I like the idea of knowing some of the other characters, makes things easy to begin with.

Now that Sakura is "basically finalized" I can tell you that she is Soshi Shugenja (1) and Shosuro Deceiver (2,3; advanced school). Which is why she needs a lot of Void. She's also going to be ... hmmm, "fortifying her spirit", which I'm sure that Mushashi can help with.

As for connections: Sakura has traveled around a lot, mostly attending O-Miai (meeting a prospective spouse for an arranged marriage). So she could quite literally know anyone from practically anywhere.

BTW, Musashi-san, I don't suppose that you know the Death Touch Kiho, ne?

Now would any peaceful, non-threatening Sohei of the Fortune of Fire & Thunder know so dangerous and deadly a Kiho?

Or rather... would he be apt to admit to as much?  ;)

The thing is, I'm not really sure yet what Musashi can really "instruct" aside from the Jiujutsu (at least given the way the Instruction skill reads in the L5R 3rd Ed book).

For instance, in order to teach School Techniques, I have to have an Emphasis in that School (or possibly even in the Technique)... this works similarly to the requirement that I can only teach skills for which I have an Instruction Emphasis (in Musashi's case that's only Jiujutsu).

I may need to have a Kiho Emphasis or a Temple of Osano-Wo Emphasis in order to actually teach them.

However... I'm uncertain about something.  I know that Clan Schools are VERY touchy about the idea of teaching "outsiders" their Techniques.  How would a Monk Temple feel about teaching things like Kiho to those outside the Order (especially a martially oriented Order like Osano-Wo)?

Didn't one of the Shinsei Monks get martyred in Rokugan's past because he refused to demonstrate his unarmed combat techniques for the Emperor (the Crane Emerald Champion refused to strike down the monk and instead committed seppukku... leaving it to a Crab to strike & kill the monk)?

Well, to question 2 the answer is yes -- but he refused to demonstrate the techniques because they were invented specifically for peasants and he didn't want the Samurai Caste to have them.

For question one, I'm afraid that's a GM call. One would think not, but in real life Japan religious techniques are a closely guarded secret -- especially among the Vajrayana (Mikkyo) practitioners.

Or perhaps as rivals.  ;)  I hadn't decided on an age for Ukyo yet, so I'm flexible.  Depending on when he left, perhaps they were both training in the Kakita Dueling academy until Sachi left.  Until then they were peers and equals, havign the same sensei, but they always had a healthy, friendly rivalry going.  Sachi leaves for his... whatever it was (don't remember the term and it's not on the page I'm typing this on :) and so Ukyo is left wondering who is truly better.  Then he comes back with these "unclean" fighting techniques suitable only for Ronin, and he is made to wonder even more, which is better... the "pure" fighting style of the samurai schools, or the catch-as-catch-can ronin techniques.  Perhaps Ukyo almost feels slighted, that they were not able to graduate together and prove once and for all who was better.  Perhaps he is driven to beat Sachi and show that the pure samurai techniques are better.  :)  One more Disadvantage!  lol... I dunno, this was all off the top of my head and totally subject to change... :P

Ooh, me! :-) Haven't had a lot of time to create a char yet, but I'm nearly there.

I'm still thinking about a Harrier with a Path or two somewhere too, but likely I'm sticking with the Yojimbo. I'm interested in what our GM has to say about Multiple Schools for Ronin Schools too though. There are some nice possibilities there.

I forgot to look that up ... there's something about Clan Samurai taking MS with Ronin Schools in either the Erratta or in the book, but I can't remember the details ...

Here you go, though the GM may choose to change this since that is his right:

Can Clan-Afflicated Samurai take the Ronin technique's with out the diffrent schools advantage? The book isn't to clear on this matter.

Clan-affiliated characters may choose to study at a ronin School at the time of character creation without having to take the Different School Advantage. If they wish to change Schools after that, they must take Multiple Schools. Ronin may move freely among the bushi Schools as they like, perhaps resulting in a Bushi 2/Duelist 1 or what have you.

Ronin Schools are intended to represent a number of basic, fundamental styles that exist within all major fighting styles (for Clan samurai), and that may be studied independantly without the need for a dojo or sensei (for ronin). They also allow you to make that Hiruma Yojimbo you've always wanted, even if there's no Yojimbo School among the Crab.

They are, like much of 3E, a toolkit to use as you see fit in order to create a more varied and appealing character.

Quick question for the GM: since we're starting off at higher Insight Ranks, does that mean (since it's a GM call) that we start off with higher Status as well?

yes, of course ^_^
your Status, Glory, and Honor go up at the same rate as your Inisight Rank

Hmm... nice.  So status, glory and honor all go up by 2.  I'll have to take advantage of that i think.  :)

Speaking of Honor (Duty), I thought y'all might like to see Sakura's "Duty List" while we're being public:



I would anticipate party members at level 3, with Musashi being more like a 2.5, assuming that they knew each other well enough before hand for Sakura to have developed Loyalty for them.

Hmm ... maybe "Close Monk Friends/allies" should be 3, and the others bumped down a notch?

I hate to break it to you, but I'm fairly sure any Heritage rolls made after the first one are essentially re-rolls. It's not an addition, you get the one Heritage from your last roll and all the previous Heritage rolls are expunged.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:28, Fri 09 Feb 2007.

No I do not believe that is how it works.  The 1st Heritage roll is "free"... however the 2nd & 3rd Heritage rolls cost CP.  It would be like spending CP on Advantages.

At least that's my understanding, if you're willing to spend CP & risk getting bad rolls... then you get to keep all that you roll.  In this case Ukyo lucked out with 3 good rolls.

So theoretically I could have any number of ancestors who all wrote an influential book on my Clan's philosophy and consequently gain any number of points of Honor and any number of Free Raises on Social Skill Rolls with my Clan?

I really don't think that's right. I'll try to dig up a clarification from one of the developers though.

Edit: forgot the max three times limit, but the point essentially stands.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Fri 09 Feb 2007.

As always, GM trump applies.

(Now that I found the FAQ, I can read it ... )

It's good to point those things out, but they don't really clarify whether you add the Heritage rolls of whether the last one overrides the previous ones.

However, I found a couple of posts by Rich Wulf (former L5R developer) on the Alderac forums that suggest I was mistaken and that the Heritages do "stack".

If you read the charcter creation example in the book, after the first roll, they say the fictional player feels his luck is not with him and reconsiders using his last CP for a second roll.  The intent seems clear that it would have been a second, seperate heritage with all the benefits/penalties it would have brought with it.  If it was a "re-roll", then there would be no question as to whether he should reroll to try to get rid of the bad first roll.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 06:02, Sat 10 Feb 2007.

Well since the GM didn't object initially to Ukyo's stacking of his 3 Heritage rolls, I figure that's how they work.  Since I don't ever use Heritage rolls (I dislike randomness in my character creation), I can't say I've ever really given it much thought (maybe my view was adversely affected by the somewhat negative & discouraging example provided in the 3rd Ed. book lol ;)

Heritage Rolls aside... KnK, do you intend for all the PCs to know each other (and perhaps to all start out together) from the start of the campaign?  If so, then we should probably work out the connections & relationships between various characters.  I know we've made a start to some degree... the 3 Kakita School Duelists probably know each other, Sachi has some history with Ukyo (sparring partners and/or "friendly rivalry"), Musashi met & befriended Sachi during his Musha Shugyo, it is possible that upon return to Crane lands Sachi introduced Musashi to Ukyo.

Again all tentative ideas for background links.  But KnK, do you want us to tie everyone in (one way or another)?  I.E. should we already work out how Sakura met the Duelists & the Monk?  How some of us at least know and/or are friends with Naruhime the courtier?

If Yoshida is a Daidoji Yojimbo, then it is likely that he'll need a "charge" to bodyguard for... Sakura or Naruhime would be likely potential charges.  Fumimaro, while he may not know the "rogue" Sachi (who left his formal schooling for a Musha Shugyo), would likely have gotten to know Ukyo at the Kakita Dueling Academy (or at least that's a possibility).

How Sakura, Naruhime & Yoshida would be tied into the Duelists & Monk is less clear though certainly not impossible to work if that's what we (or more importantly you KnK) want.  ;)

Just wondering?  ;)

yes, my intention was that all of you know each other and are given a single mission (sorry for not making that clear at the beginning) I've been meaning to get something started, but stuff came up, I'll have something up by monday

Perhaps one of us ran into Sakura at one of the O-Miai meetings.  :)

Heh. O-Miai would have been one of those things that moved Sachi into leaving in the first place.  ;)

Heh, well, there's a few other PCs that could find it acceptable.  :)  At least upon first glance, but a few people haven't filled in much character detail yet.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:43, Mon 12 Feb 2007.

Well, here's a couple things for you:

Sakura's Yojimbo would pretty much have to be Daidoji. From experience I can tell you that those pesky Kakita won't let her go off by herself, and they especially won't let her do things that might be ... less than honorable. Either that or she wouldn't have a permanent Yojimbo at all.

And the Yojimbo would probably need to be Female under normal circumstances. Either that or he wouldn't be guarding her at a number of "inopportune" times, like when she's sleeping or in the bath.

So the Yojimbo thing is probably out.

As far as the O-Miai goes, don't forget that besides the "intended" there are always witnesses and such present. And she could have easily been present at any number of political negotiations.

Hmmm ... her brother is a graduate of the Kakita Academy (there is a long story about her brother that involves a Crab, a female Doji Duelist assigned as her Honor Guard, and a Scorpion plot that "failed"), and she's visited him on a number of occasions. Anyone from the academy could easily know her from there.

She's kinda hard to miss ...

Well Naruhime is probably watched by at least 1 Yojimbo, if not more. She's a treasured Doji Bride (or at least they want to make her one) in the time just after the Clan War... she's an asset they can not overlook.

That said, even if they can't watch her while she is bathing, they certainly can stand within earshot in case she screams.

More than likely her Yojimbo would be a duelist, though family wouldn't matter so much. And she is more than happy to use her talents to aid in any courtly intrigues that the party members find themselves in.

Hmm... so does someone want a Daidoji Yojimbo?  If not, then Yoshida might be in a tough spot (unless the GM wants to run an NPC "charge" but that might complicate things).

Of course Naruhime could have Yoshida as her main day-to-day Yojimbo and perhpas one of the Kakita School Duelists as a "secondary" dueling Yojimbo (or "champion" for any duels she might be challenged to)?

This double Yojimbo situation would tie in Naruhime & Yoshida with the Duelists... and the Duelist 2nd Yojimbo would be the link to the other Duelists (and via Sachi and/or Ukyo, a link to Musashi).

Now as for Sakura... well it could be that since she doesn't have a Yojimbo, it has been arranged for her to accompany Naruhime.  After all, Sakura was being planned for a "trophy bride" as well.  Maybe the hope is that Sakura can learn from Naruhime's example?

OR... there could be some family connections.  We have 2 Doji (a courtier & a duelist)... they could be related (1st cousins maybe)?  Also some of the Daidoji might be closely related as well.

The Kakita and Musashi (who is formerly an Asahina) are probably not that closely related to anyone else (but that's not definite either).

So some of the connections could be "family ties" or "family obligations"?

Sakura... the rules/restrictions about Yojimbo who are different gender than their charges... does this apply to brothers & sisters?

Hmmm ... insert the sound of gears turning well, Sakura doesn't take too much effort to conceal her emphasis on the Daidoji's Duty (e.g. she doesn't have any ranks of Perceived Honor). It could easily be that Sakura is supposed to be "training" to appear more honorable so that they can arrange a better quality husband for her.



On the other hand, Sakura's Uncle (the youngest brother) is trained in the Asahina school so there could be a tie there. I could easily see him asking Musashi for a favor ...



No, immediate relatives are fine. So if the Daidoji Yojimbo wanted to be Sakura's Brother that would be fine (though he probably still couldn't accompany her to the bathing area ...). Cousins are a bit iffy, but probably alright -- especially if they were raised together.

One of Sakura's Aunts could easily have married ... well, practically anywhere, so Cousins could work with pretty much any of the PCs. Three of the Brothers have been defined (Sakura's father and her two uncles), but there are probably others ...

I wouldn't mind playing a female character, if that makes things easier. Yoshida is based on a female Daidoji Yojimbo character I played a long time ago anyway.

As for the day-to-day yojimbo vs. dueling yojimbo issue, I really doubt Rokugani samurai would see things that way. In fact, it'd be a terrible insult to either yojimbo, suggesting they wouldn't be able to deal with both kinds of threat to their charge. And in case it matters, Yoshida's gearing up for the Kenshinzen school. He's probably fairly close to a dedicated Kakita duelist in dueling ability, close enough not to warrant a stand-in to begin with.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Mon 12 Feb 2007.

Does Yoshida mind the Daidoji that "dirty their hands" with dishonorable activities?

Yoshida wouldn't question the honour of anything done for the Crane Clan as ordained by the Crane Champion. He doesn't justify his own actions by the same argument, but he firmly believes everyone should look to his own honour first and leave that of others to them.

I'm pretty much done with the background and the mechanical stuff, but background and (dis)advantages are subject to change if it were preferable for Yoshida to be female. I'll post everything as soon as that's decided on, that should give everyone a good idea of what kind of character he/she is.

"I'll post everything as soon as that's decided on, that should give everyone a good idea of what kind of character he/she is."

Just so we're clear, that's meant as encouragement to weigh in on the decision. ;-) I'll go female if it helps, but if there's no reason to do so I'm simply sticking with Yoshida as is.

Well, let me put it this way: if Daidoji Sakura says "We're sneaking into Akodo Bozo's quarters to plant some evidence" what would his/her response be: "Count me in, sounds like fun!";"Well, I suppose if we have to ..."; or "count me out! If anyone asks me, I'll just say you needed to be alone for your meditations."?

That's rather more dishonourable than what usually comes to mind for underhanded Daidoji actions. Those usually focus on gaining a more direct military advantage (ambushes, sabotage, that kind of thing). I expect there might be a few other characters in the group who would have a problem with this. But assuming this is just Sakura speaking of something she intends to do on her own and talking only to Yoshida:


Not a chance.


Most likely, since the duty of protecting his charge is more important than personal honour. But only if he can't persuade Sakura otherwise, and be prepared for a serious argument.


Nah. If he's in the know, not taking part but otherwise going along is not better than actively helping out. In for a penny, in for a pound.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:40, Wed 14 Feb 2007.

Well aren't the Daidoji the "underhand" of the Crane Clan?  The Family willing to do dishonorable deeds so the rest of the Crane Clan can maintain their honor without risk (thus explaining why the Daidoji Harriers start with lower Honor than the other Crane Schools)?

At least that's how I always viewed them but maybe I have the wrong view of the Daidoji?

The way I always thought it was is that yes, the Daidoji are willing to do dishonourable things for the benefit of the Clan, but not just anything. They're supposed to be the military might of the Crane and will do whatever it takes to fullfill that role effectively despite often (at least against their n°1 opponents, the Lion) being at a numerical disadvantage. That means raids on enemy provisions, guerilla tactics, ambushes, singling out enemy officers to disrupt the chain of command, using terrain and natural circumstances and whatnot. Necessity trumps honour in war for the Daidoji. Deception, intrigue and dirty pool in the courts however are something else entirely, especially since the Crane are only rivaled by the Scorpion in political power. There's no need to get dirty in this case.

I'd call them pragmatic but not necessarily 'underhand'ed.

To compare them to other clan stereotypes, they are more akin to the Crab than the Scorpion.  Well, at least that's how I see them.  :)

Ahh... well I guess I don't see much difference between the Battle Field & the Courts... both are areas of conflict and both need to be dominated for the success & survival of the Clan.

After all... some of the Doji Courtier's "Favors" involve some pretty shady areas.  I have a feeling that one of the key ways for the Crane to remain on top at the Courts is to use some rather underhanded tricks (they only become "dishonorable" if they become publicly known).

Here's an interesting blurb on the Daidoji Family found on the L5R Wiki:

Granted different people may see the Family different ways and in fact individuals can go against Family stereotypes as well (certainly Musashi has walked a far more martial path than his Asahina father would have approved of).

Also it might be important to know how the GM views the Daidoji Family, just for use as a general reference.

That said... please don't feel that I'm trying to persuade anyone to play their characters in any specific way.  Honestly I'm not.  People should play their PCs however they wish, whatever is comfortable and enjoyable.  ;)

I'm just trying to get a better feel for how the Daidoji Family is generally viewed (both OOC & IC).

While I'm a long time Crane Player... I have pretty much stuck to traditional high honor Kakita & Doji (usually formal Iaijutsu Duelists).  I actually know very little of the Daidoji (and not all that much more about the Asahina for that matter).

So I have only a general feel for the Daidoji Family and how it normally operates.  ;)

I exaggerated a bit there, but Sakura is known for (e.g.) going into the "bad" parts of town, seducing (light, not "adult forum" stuff) an enemy, and consorting with dishonorable types to get necessary information.

In other words, if Yoshida is the "only on the battlefield" type of Daidoji gender probably won't make a difference to Sakura. She won't argue about it, she'll just do it.

Also of note is that I'm a very intuitive player, so sometimes I'll do things that just won't make any sense. I'm not always right, by any means, but I play my hunches. So sometimes she'll go to the "bad part of town" because of a hunch and nothing more ...

I certainly don't want to claim to be 100% right on this. By their very nature, the Daidoji are not an easily known family. And especially with things like this, it's a matter of subjective interpretation.
We know the Daidoji have no qualms about seedy business to collect sensitive information. In my mind, that doesn't extend to actually fabricating and/or planting fake info, but it's a thin line. I fully expect opinions to differ, if not on this then probably on other stuff.

That said, to me that's half the fun: not all Daidoji are completely the same, and that goes for every other family out there too - if that wasn't the case, there'd be no interest in roleplaying.


The gender issue is mostly to do with plausibility. If the majority of people involved (and particularly our GM) feel that a male yojimbo for a female courtier or shugenja is improbable, impractical or both and there's no objection from the courtier/shugenja player to have a PC yojimbo rather than an NPC, that's really all the reason I need. Any in-character headbutting and arguing as the result of such a relationship is just part of the roleplaying (not to worry, Yoshida knows full well who has the final say in any difference of opinion between a yojimbo and his charge).

Maybe the example you chose (planting false evidence) is not the most representative for this issue though. It's just over the line, while doing unsavoury things to gather info which can then be used against a political opponent is close to but not over the line (again: to me, or at least to Yoshida. Not every player and certainly not every Daidoji will make the same distinction). All in all, it's difficult to get something subjective like this across in a few short sentences. We could probably go over it for days.


That makes sense. If it worked once, it's worth trying again.

Due to being busy i havent got to post in a while but to go back to an earlier conversation...I have a few connections that are possible. One is the Kakita Bushi school, another the fact that i am a Doji so could know Naruhime that way. I dont mind being related to another player at all. Another two possibilities that i can look into when the GM gets back to me is that i have Imperial connections (Having an imperial spouse!) Therefore anyone dealing with courtrooms may know me that way. The second one to be organised with the GM is that i have a social position which i was hoping was a military one, therefore someone may know me due to my military position. All just ideas.Iv left my background fairly open and am willing to change it around slightly to suit the backgrounds of others. So any suggestions from other players on how you wish to know me or relate to me are welcome. lol :-)
P.s. I am no longer doing an evening job so i should be able to post regularly now. So i can throw in my suggestions.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:42, Thu 15 Feb 2007.

Well, I'd love to have a "partner in crime" but I know that this role is a bit of a stretch even for the Daidoji. Since Sakura has access to some really strange magics, anyone who would go with her "regularly" would have to be very trustworthy in her eyes.

To the more general subject all I can say is, well, I guess I've said most of it. Related, knows through her Duelist brother, or met at an omiai are the only three I can think of. Knowing of Sakura is probably a given for the two Daidoji though. I doubt that very many vassals were adopted into the main line after their family was annihilated.

Hmmm ... on the other hand, since we've just come out of the Clan Wars it's quite possible that some of the other could have known her from there as well. Sakura was inserted into the Crane clan before the Coup.

Okay, thinking aloud (I need to hear the GMs opinions on this) I'd say that she kept her cover the entire time.

Barely.

She would have been working with/for Kachiko, indirectly most likely. I picture her master/controller dying early in the coup, so she had to get direction from the only people she knew. So basically at this point only Kachiko and Aramoro would know anything about her.

Sakura survived the coup because she knew better than to reveal herself without direct orders, completely unaware that her supervisor was dead and so couldn't give her any orders. She didn't find out until it was too late, and with Kachiko's designs on the Crane it was felt she would do better where she was.

During the final assault on Otosan Uchi, she used her strange ("ronin magics" would be how it would be described, though in reality it was Tejina/Deceiver magics) magics to aid the Daidoji during the assault, and probably got a bit of a reputation there. Unlike most of the Asahina, she was "reasonably" prepared for battle; like the Daidoji, however, she did much better when unseen (e.g. she has no ranks of Battle, but her Stealth is pretty darned good). She probably would have been used for things like opening locked doors, harassing enemies (drawing them to the "well prepared" Daidoji Harriers), and so forth.

Hmmmm ... this is "just after" the Day of Thunder, right? Are we talking a couple of months, the next year, or what? I completely forgot about a few details, like how many of her family -- both adopted and real -- is now left. I'll have to think about that.


I think I would like to have her related to at least one of the PCs, and given her background it could be practically anyone. Any volunteers? :D

given the level of scrutiny that a Scorpion agent is trained to withstand and the chaos of the Clan War it's unlikely that Daidoji Sakura would have had the opportunity to blow her cover (a Daidoji shugenja with a talent for misdirection?  her superiors within the Daidoji wouldn't have questioned their good fortune, just used her any way they could--now, given a period of relative peace, your superiors may start to question their serendipitous fortune but they haven't so far ^_^)

it's a couple months after the Clan War, things have begun to settle down from that time, but, of course, new issues are arising ^_^

Well I know Musashi is originally Asahina (though I only really worked out the father... his mother is still "undefined"), however I would be open to any potential familial connections if people were interested.  Perhaps a 1st cousin or in-law (Musashi has a younger brother who is an Asahina shugenja).  Someone who might have known Musashi before he left to become a monk?

Actually if Sakura is being trained by an Asahina shugenja, there could be a link there (either with Musashi's father before his death at the end of the Clan Wars, Musashi's father was a respected sensei at the Asahina Shugenja School)... or perhaps through Musashi's brother who is just completing his shugenja training?

Or both ...

Sakura's uncle attends the Asahina Shugenja school, and has since before the Coup. It's quite likely that Sakura was brought there on several occasions by her uncle for "catch up" studies. Tutoring sessions if you will.

Oddly enough, though, she can't join the Ashahina Shugenja school yet, or just recently became eligible, so while she might have studied there a bit there's no way she could have attended, and at this point in her career I don't think that they'd let her attend. Everyone still thinks that her training is "inborn" or discovered, e.g. that she is attending a Ronin school.

So, the short version of this is, I think that she has been there several times to study. It's quite likely that she knew your father and your brother. In fact, it's possible that she even knew Musashi that way ... it was long enough ago that it could have been before his retirement.

Or, if you have any sisters or aunts it's possible that her uncle could have married into your family.

Well Musashi's only sibling is a younger brother named Asahina Yoshitaka who has recently completed his training as an Asahina Shugenja.  Musashi's late father was named Asahina Takezo & he was a respected Asahina Shugenja as well as a noted sensei at the Asahina Shugenja School (before his death during the final battle of the 2nd Day of Thunder).

As for possible aunts or uncles, that is certainly possible as I haven't worked out that degree of family.  Also I have settled the details regarding Musashi's mother either (ie. she could be from a different Crane Family).

Well, Musashi-San, it sounds to me like the "your father knew my uncle" angle would work best. What do you think?

Others made suggestions earlier, I think, that I lost somewhere ...

That works for me just fine.  ;)

And you will be an attractive fleeting vision to Ukyo who has seen you at the Kakita school visiting your... brother I think it was?... but good to long from a distance as I don't know if his 5.5 honor can withstand a "close" relationship with Sakura, if you catch my drift.  :P
This message was last edited by the player at 00:25, Thu 22 Feb 2007.

Sounds good to me, Ukyo-San!

so have we reached a consensus as to how everyone is related?  or do you need some more time before we start?

Sounds like we have it figured out.  So what I can gather:

Sachi, Ukyo, and Fumimaro attended the the Kakita Deuling School together before Sachi left.  After he left he met up with Musashi during his Musha Shugyo and Ukyo and Fumimaro were still together at the academy.

Sakura has Yoshida (or possible female name) as a body guard.  She has a sibling at the Deuling academy and so has met Ukyo and Fumimaro at least in passing there.  Naruhime, being a courtier has probably spent time around Fumimaro since he has an imperial spouse and he has most likely been in court with her.  That's her connection to the rest of the group.

Musashi, once returning to Crane lands, was somehow beholden to help out Ukyo, who is somewhat sickly, using his knowledge of medicine.

If I recalled anyth8ing incorrectly, let me know.

I believe it was Sachi who introduced Musashi to Ukyo.  I don't know if I would say that Musashi is "beholden" to Ukyo but he may have agreed to accompany & watch out for Ukyo (ie. Musashi hasn't sworn any sort of allegiance to Ukyo).  Musashi does owe a small Obligation to his former Daimyo Lord Asahina Arinaga and his attending Ukyo may be a part of that (on the other hand he has a powerful Ally Lord Kakita Yoshihiro who might have asked as favor of Musashi to care for the sickly Ukyo).

Sakura's uncle knew Musashi's late via the Asahina Shugenja School.

I'm not sure yet if it has been settled that Yoshida will be Sakura's Yojimbo... also I believe Naruhime requires a Yojimbo as well (if not Yoshida, then perhaps one of the Kakita School Duelists?).

There is of course still the question of possible "family ties".  Musashi's mother hasn't been defined, so it is possible there could be a connection there.  In fact maybe Musashi's mother was a Kakita (perhaps an Artisan) and she was the daughter of Lord Kakita Yoshihiro (thus partly explaining the Ally) and this could be why Musashi has been asked to look after Ukyo (maybe via marriage, Ukyo & Musashi are cousins in some fashion)?

It may also be possible that Fumimaro & Naruhime could be related.  Also the 3 Daidoji might be related as well (though in Sakura's case it would be via her "adopted" family).

I shoul dbe more clear.  By beholden I was speaking of your prior thoughts that he had an obligation to someone and perhaps that someone "cashed" in that obligation to have Ukyo looked after.

If we have steered away from that, we can certainly think of something else.  :)

I believe that we also have Naruhime knowing Sakura from one (or more) of Sakura's many Omiai's, but I could be inventing that I suppose.

Also, while we did discuss having Yoshida as Sakura's bodyguard at length, we didn't settle on who Yoshida would be guarding. Naruhime may be the better option, but that depends on ... well, a lot of things.

Well I don't mind the idea of Musashi serving as a spiritual advisor to Ukyo... I just felt that the word "beholden" seemed to imply that Musashi was a "retainer".  I think as a Monk, that Musashi tends to be more "free" than that.

As for Musashi's connection to Ukyo being a part of his Obligation, that sorta depends on what the GM's views are.  The GM might have another idea for Musashi's Obligation.

I was just pointing out that there could be alternative or multiple reasons for connecting Musashi to Ukyo.  ;)

I finally found the (short) story about Sakura's brother. It's possible that this story could create a link between characters, but mostly it's for background. And to make sure that I don't loose it again ... ;p

For context, this story was originally told during a gift-giving exchange.


--------------------------------------------------------------------


Sakura opened her hands to reveal a small stone. The stone itself was unremarkable except, perhaps, for it's smoothness. Obviously it came from a river because the Water Kami had made it nearly perfectly round. Sakura's smile grew wider as she continued.

"My younger brother is a student at the prestigious Kakita Dueling Academy and, as part of my travels, I was asked to visit him. I was met by my brother and two of his friends -- a lovely young Doji girl named Aiko and a Crab from the Hida family. Aiko was something of an outcast at the academy. She was from a wealthy courtier family and they did not approve of their daughter training in the sword. But they weren't given much of a choice by their Lord so they were forced to allow it. She was small and, because she did not come from a Bushi family, the other students did not approve of her either."

"Well, my brother is somewhat overprotective and it turned out that he was concerned about me. One of the students was a Scorpion of the Bayushi family and my brother was worried that the Scorpion would try to dishonor the clan in some way since I was still new to the family, so he arranged with his Sensei to have Aiko act as an honor guard for me. The sensei, for some reason, was more than willing to comply."

"The Crab had with him a bag of stones which he presented to me as a gift. 'The Crab only give practical gifts' he told me, but I must confess that at the time I saw no practical value. He insisted that Aiko and I must keep that bag with us at all times and we reluctantly agreed to the odd request. Well that perception changed at bath time."

"It seems that many of the young men were manipulated into trying to get a peek of Aiko and I in the bath. 'You haven't passed your Gempukku' the Scorpion told them, 'so it won't dishonor anyone.' We heard movement outside the fence and, realizing what was going on, Aiko took a stone out of the bag and tossed it over the fence. Her aim was true and we heard a yelp, followed by footsteps running away. This process was repeated over the evening and it became something of a game for us."

"Well one of those yelps came from the Scorpion who was hit on the face. He didn't know it but this stone had lodged in his mask and did not fall out until later at practice. Aiko-Chan, being the faithful honor guard, immediately challenged him to a duel for my honor which the Sensei gladly permitted. The whispers that went around the room did not favor her. The Scorpion was apparently more skilled in Iai, but she took her stance like she had been doing this as long as Toshimoko-Sensei and her spirit dominated her opponent. Her draw was fast and her aim was true; she proved her skill by breaking the Scorpion's mask with her bokken. After that she was no longer an outcast. No one ever questioned her skill or path again, not even her parents. The Sensei, it turned out, knew her potential all along which is why he agreed to put her with me in the first place."

"So you see" she concluded with a wide smile, "This is the stone that broke the Scorpion's Mask and turned a beautiful young outcast into a local hero. I can think of no better home than with the lovely young Ronin who did the same."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:12, Fri 23 Feb 2007.

So, did we know we were being summoned by the clan champ?  Or would we be surprised upon entering the room?

yes, being addressed by your Clan Champion in a small back room is pretty far outside your expectations ^_^

EDIT:  everyone's character sheets should now be user editable, sorry for not getting that done earlier ^_^
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:55, Thu 01 Mar 2007.

Okay, "silly history question". It's been a long time so ...

Doji Kuwanan was trained by the Daidoji, ne? Wasn't that one of the reasons that he wasn't "well liked"? Or am I misremembering something?

Here's a good website for L5R background info:
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Here's Doji Kuwanan's entry from that page (where the above quote comes from):
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Doji_Kuwanan

I'll get you mine early tomorrow, sorry for not getting that done earlier.

Charsheet and description posted, I'll start posting IC as soon as we've determined once and for all which gender my char will have and who he/she will be yojimbo for (if anyone).

gender is entirely up to you, I'm willing to change your name to better fit your character if you want, so don't hesitate on my account

as to who you'll be a yojimbo for, that's also a PC decision ^_^

I think that's what Yoshida means... he can't finalize the gender of his character (and thus name) until either Sakura or Naruhime "claim" him as her Yojimbo and then state a preference.  ;)

What Musashi said. :-) Had I realized it would have been an issue I would probably have gone for a female character in the first place. If neither Sakura nor Naruhime wants Yoshida as yojimbo (for whatever reason, I'm not going to be upset if they prefer not to), I'm sticking with Yoshida (although I'll make a slight background change to explain why he wouldn't currently serve as such). If either does, he'll become Yoshiko instead. I guess that means it's up to them.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:07, Sat 03 Mar 2007.

Before I forget:
Fair warning for Sakura and Naru: Yoshida has the Bad Reputation (Failure) disadvantage (see his background in the description for the reason why). That might influence your decision.

Actually, it does -- but probably not the way you were expecting! ;D

I like Yoshida just the way he is -- I think he would make a fine Yojimbo for Sakura. The persistent, "never say die", attitude appeals to me ... and her. :D

How long would you say that they have been together?

I thought it could go either way - especially since Sakura might sense possibilities for corruption. :p

I wouldn't think they have been together very long (that background stuff didn't happen overnight), but probably long enough to get a rapport going. Somewhere between six months and a year (likely closer to a year), possibly?

Hmmm ... well, since this is only three months or so after the Day of Thunder, that would place them both at the events of the Day of Thunder? Sure you want that?

I mean, it's fine with me but from your background I figured you might want to make it the last few months. If Yoshida was with Sakura during that time then there'd definitely be a rapport going ... :D

I'm not sure I understand... The Clan War took roughly two years, so if Sakura went undercover before that there is no reason for Yoshida to be aware of who she really is. I had no idea Sakura was present at the events surrounding the DoT, and I don't know what difference it makes. I suppose I must be thick or something, but what am I missing? Either way, just the last few months (IOW, since shortly after the DoT) works for me too.

*Laughs*

No, nothing like that.

During the Clan War, Shosuro Kasumi stayed undercover as Daidoji Sakura. Kachiko wanted it that way. During the final Day of Thunder, which was after Kachiko found out what happened to the Emperor, Kasumi was ordered to remain undercover as Sakura. She stayed with the Crane to ensure that the Daidoji would more effective.

During that time Kasumi had to use her full repertoire of Tejina Magics -- something which all outside of the Scorpion are forbidden to know about.

So, where I was going with this: if Yoshida was her Yojimbo during that time he would have witnessed her full range of magics. He wouldn't know that she's Scorpion, but he would know a lot about her magics.

Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and that's why I have no problem with it. What it would mean is that Yoshida would be under no delusions about Daidoji Sakura and her honor. He would know what she's capable of.

On the other hand he would understand her Loyalty as well. Yoshida would know that Daidoji Sakura will protect her Yojimbo with the same ferocity that he protects her. In other words, she would start with Yoshida pretty high on her Loyalty List.

It would make for a very close relationship.

I hadn't thought of it that way. Yoshida, being a bushi, doesn't know about magic: he'd have to rely on Sakura's reputation to know whether she's powerful or not, and without being told by another shugenja (or Sakura herself, I suppose), he wouldn't know there's anything special about how she works her magic.

Either way, it's probably more interesting (and certainly easier, since it'll require less behind-the-scenes work to establish their common history) to keep it at a few months. Right after the Clan War is an auspicious moment to start a new assignment for Yoshida too, a good opportunity to make a break with the past and start anew.

That leaves only the matter of gender: all things considered, female is probably better from a practical POV and I think it's probably common practice among the Clans to pair up female yojimbo with female shugenja if possible. Not necessarily an absolute rule, but still the norm. Honourable Kaze no Kage-same, would you be so kind to change Yoshida to Yoshiko?

Okay! :D

Oh, by the way -- the reason that I didn't have Sakura lay her Katana aside is because she doesn't have one. I did think of it, but cannot recall any equivalent for a Shugenja.

(Actually, in the original Sakura did carry a Katana but she didn't know how to use it and wasn't required to defend herself. I get the feeling that it would not be appropriate for her to do so in this campaign ...).

Granted, seeing as this is a fantasy setting with female Bushi it's a little different, but typically in feudal Japan, a woman of the samurai caste would, when leaving the house, have the Wakazashi and Tanto on her (they were not allowed to wear katana, which, as I pointed out earlier, doesn't necessarily count in L5R. However, a shugenja wouldn't have much reason to carry one).  Neither of which are required to be removed when entering a person's home or other establishment.

Why Yoshiko... you look so... manly.  ;)

He/she has changed her portrait to something more "ladylike".  The change will no doubt be reflected in Yoshiko's next IC post.  ;)

Wish I could say the same about you, Kakita-san. /deadpan :p

I assumed the database would look up avatars through the user when constructing the page, but apparently there's a direct link between posts and avatars. Doesn't matter, everything's adjusted from now on.

So needless to say, this is my first try at playing a monk (ie. non-samurai) in an L5R game.  I'm not quite sure what his place would be right now in the current situation.  It might be different were it just the PCs but the presence of none less than the Clan Champion seems to indicate that Musashi should be "seen but not heard" for the present.

Is that how others would view the role/place of a monk in this situation?

I don't think there are any straightforward answers here. Honestly, monks shouldn't be in this situation. Joining a monastic order (I'm excluding the tattooed orders for this purpose, even if they are monks) pretty much means severing all ties with your life as a samurai, serving a Clan. Monks can certainly be welcomed and even sought out for their insight and advice, but I don't see them being asked to become involved in Clan affairs - maybe if those involved family members of the monk or there is some other, similarly pressing reason, but those would be extremely rare cases, I feel.

That said, the situation is what it is so there's no point in agonizing over what could/would/should be. The most probable reason why Musashi would be present is to allow for the point of view of one who is less biased and who can offer insights a samurai might not understand. Secondly, a more sly reason, Kuwanan might feel there is an advantage to be gained from adding an unknown element to his task force: monks are treated differently and provoke different reactions than samurai. Either way though, Musashi is present because he was invited to be. To me, that means his input will be appreciated and even expected. I don't think Musashi should necessarily sit there quietly and not involve himself.

I definately agree here.



Not necessarily, there are plenty of monk "advisors" who are the real power of a clan (forced to retire before they were ready, the "monk" only relinquished his/her power in name). And many others wander the empire offering counsel and wisdom. After all, a monk seeks Enlightenment for all and not just himself.

What I would say, Musashi-San, is that if you do decide to speak try to sound "wise" ... more like Confucius than a Fortune Cookie. ;p

I'm going on vacation for a week, be back Monday

Lucky... have fun!

Hi guys,

I'm just waiting on the final word from the GM regarding whether Musashi can arrange for lodging or at least "letters of introduction" for the entire group.

Sure thing, Musashi-san.

sorry for not making it clear, Doji Kuwanan's travelling papers include arrangements for room and board in Toshi Ranbo and along the way.  However, having room and board provided by the Crane Clan Champion also makes you very, very conspicuous.

Well I'm having Musashi make a private request with Lord Kakita Yoshihiro-sama for "room & board arrangements" for the group... so that the arrangements will come from Yoshihiro rather than the Clan Champion (thus hopefully lowering our "profile" at least to a certain degree).

If anyone doesn't want to be included in these arrangements (perhaps someone wants to make their own arrangements for various reasons, perhaps to keep aloof from the main group for various purposes)... please let me know as Musashi will respect that and only make arrangements through Yoshihiro for those who actually want them.

I'm assuming that Ukyo will agree to be included in these Yoshihiro arrangements?

Yup.  No worries here.

I guess that's a good question (and one the GM may need to answer)... have any of the PCs spent any significant amount of time in "Toshi Ranbo"?

I suppose it is possible that Musashi has been there but I hadn't really worked it into his background.  Then again, I haven't really detailed all the places Musashi might have been to (he's traveled quite a bit and "gotten around" as it were).

I'm willing to leave that up to you PC's, if you have spent time in Toshi Ranbo you haven't spent enough time to make any regular contacts, but you would know the lay out of the streets and (possibly) some of the seeder locations ^_^

*thinks hard*

Probably the "seedier locations" and "former contacts".

Sorry for the delay, guys -- I moved this week and it took more time (and energy!) than I thought it would.

Did the Miya mean to say "Shiko" rather than "Sachi"... or is this a deliberate attempt to lie to us (if so, should we try to roll something in order to determine if we're being lied to IC)?

no, that's just me failing to keep all of the names of my NPCs straight ^_^;;;

Ok no problem!  ;)

I actually thought that might be the case (ie. an OOC error)... but in Rokugan (where nothing is as it seems on the surface)... well... I felt it best to check just to be sure.  ;)

no, thank you for pointing that out, I may try to pull that in the future ^_^ but I'll try not to be so obvious about it ^_^

Here's a "quickie" for y'all:

I have "Heart of Mortality", a spell which "mystically binds" a Shugenja to one other person -- in Sakura's case it would be Yoshiko, assuming Yoshiko permits it. This spell enables the Shugenja to cast a spell on the other as if the other was in range (only useful for Sakura -> Yoshiko in this case); Further the two always know "range and direction" to the other. It also used to give "general condition" (i.e. "Alive and well", "almost dead"), though that appears to have been removed. Also the spell says nothing -- one way or the other -- about Kiho.

The spell is "permanent" until one of the two become unwilling or the spell is re-cast with another target.

How this is useful to the rest of the party: Sakura also has Sympathetic Energies, which allows her to transfer a spell from herself to another person. Effectively this means that she can create magical bonds between any two willing PCs (but only two). Timing would have been before we left "home base".

Let me know if you are interested. I thought of Musashi/Ukyo as well as the other Yojimbo/PC pair, but not everyone likes this sort of thing ...

Well I'm certainly cool with this idea.  ;)

If Ukyo is interested, then I think this would be a neat character development.

While not exactly a "yojimbo", I do feel there is a similar bond between Musashi & Ukyo (with Musashi looking out for Ukyo's physical as well as spiritual health).

Being a dedicated yojimbo, I'm sure she would. ^-^

Came home from work sick today, not up to writing a proper post. I hope I'll be feeling better in the morning.

That's fine by me.  Ukyo looks to Musashi as both confidant and advisor.  So i think such a thing could work well character wise.

I'm still under the weather, but I'm able to resume posting.

Well then, consider it done. :D

Ok cool!  ;)

Well that's a 2nd "bonded pair" on the team.  ;)

This is Daidoji Yoshiko's brother. He's been admitted to the hospital with appendicitis. It's not too serious, but he's going to be unavailable for a couple of days at least. He asked me to inform you so you wouldn't think he'd disappeared.

IIRC from previous talk, the Lion and the Crane are not on the best of terms, right?  So us goign through their lands may be a bit "hinky."  However, we are escorting an imperial messenger, and to impeded us would be an insult to the emporer, correct?  Also, what of the writs we were given?  i presume they are only valid within Crane lands, and perhaps imperial lands, but not lion lands, correct?

(Oy vey... trying to learn so much!)

only if they were to stop you, delay you with "official paperwork" is still acceptable ^_^


they're totally acceptable within Lion lands, but they give you no authority (so if you got attacked, killing your attackers might be seen as a crime) and no protection from "official inquiry" (so if you were accused of a crime, you might be in big trouble), just the ability to travel

But the fact that we're now on "official Imperial business" (guarding a Herald) does make a difference, right? I mean, most of the above is just if we were traveling "on our own" so to speak, ne?

Back, more or less recovered, will be catching up asap.

I'm going to be away from my computer for one week (until Monday the 28th).

GM please feel free to NPC my character as needed.

okay, have fun on your trip ^_^
thanks for letting me know ^_^

Understatement of the year.

Regarding Sakura's question to Musashi about "crystal"... would Musashi be likely to have some on him?  Is crystal something that would be found in medical kits?

no, pure crystal is exceedingly rare and in this point in Rokugani history, no one carries it as a matter of course--actually, in no point in Rokugani history does anyone carry it as a matter of course, though in a decade or so, after the War Against the Shadow, it does become somewhat more common.

Further analysis of the foot prints may come in the form of an Intelligence/Lore:  Shadowlands check TN 20 (if you want to know if you know more about them) or a Percpetion/Investigation (Notice) check TN 15
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:35, Fri 01 June 2007.

I'll be unable to go online for most of the weekend. Normally things should go back to normal late Sunday night though.

unless you're going for special effects (i.e. take raises) or the rules specifically call for a roll, then no you don't need to roll (but the spell still counts against your daily total ^_^)

I'm completely confused right now: is Sakura saying we need to destroy the creatures that attacked the 'bandits'?

Yes. Sorry I wasn't more clear ... m_O_m  ("Humble/Deep Bow")

*SIGH*

I have Good News (on a personal level) and Bad News (for this game).

I just got back from the post office where I finally received my acceptance to law school (finally getting off the dreaded waiting list).  Needless to say, this is good news for me in Real Life.  However this means that I need to really scramble in order to arrange housing, finish applying for loans, getting a physical & insurance and then finally making the big move down to law school.

What this means is that I basically have no "free time" for the foreseeable future.  The first year of law school is reputed to be very difficult with a great deal of reading & class work.  So even after I make my move, I don't expect to have any "free time" for gaming.

As such, I am (very sadly) forced to Quit RPOL for the time being.  While it may be possible that I will find free time for gaming in the Summer or possibly in the second year, that is really much too far into the future for me to predict.

Thus it is with much regret that I need to withdraw from this game (as well as all my other games and RPOL in general).

I have enjoyed playing in this game and I will miss it.  I wish all the best for the GM & all the Players in this game.  I wish I did not have to leave but I'm sure you all understand that Real Life has to come first.

Thank you all for a great game.  ;)

Congratulations again Musashi-san ^_^ I'm certain Law School will be great ^_^

does anyone have any questions for Sakura-san?  or should I be moving the game forward?

MOve it forward

I'm going to be going on vacation camping for a week, see you all when I get back ^_^

I know it's been a couple weeks sice I've been by.

Really sorry about that.  Things are hectic and terribly busy right now.  It's so bad that I do not foresee me being able to post reliably.  :(

So, I am going to have to back out of the game and wish you guys all good luck.

I am really still interested in how you make out, so I hope you do not mind if I lurk and read about the game progression.

I  hope you can continue without too much trouble.

Tyr.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Thu 28 June 2007.

Ha! Ukyo wins the rivalry!  Oh wait... damn... that sucks.  :P

Good luck, we'll still be here if things change for ya ...

Errr, not to ask a silly question but is this game still on?

yup, just waiting for your post actually (I was planning on moving on yesterday, but I fell asleep reading ^_^;;;)  Sorry about the long silence, life's been a bit busy

Me? Oh ...

Hi all... sorry I haven't been around.  The last few weeks have been bad.  My mom had cancer and she just passed away this morning.  I still want to play, but it will be abit before I get back to the game.  I apologize for not getting on sooner.  The RPOL boards were just the last thing on my mind.  That being said, I will return soon.

That's understandable. Take whatever time you need ...

My condolences, Ukyo. I know this must be a very difficult time. Your family will be in my prayers.

my condolences as well, take as much time as you need

Sorry for my absence, I've been having router problems. Should be solved tomorrow.

np ^_^

Clearly it wasn't the router, but I'm still without connection at home (and I'm not actually allowed to post from work, as I'm doing now). I'm getting a tech guy from my provider over tonight, hopefully it'll finally get fixed. Sorry again.

Well, crisis is over, I have recovered, and am willign and able to return to the game... except I see it hasn't moved very far from where I left it.

Is this still active?

well, I'm still here, though people aren't posting.  Given the lack of PC input, should we close this game down?  or advertise for new players?

Err, yeah ... well I completely forgot that someone was expecting a reply from me ...

Otherwise, I'm still here.

Well, I hope I' not too late for this game.  If I am, though, I don't mind joining another game.

Oh, and I would like to say hi.  :)  Just your friendly Scorpion-Crane hostage...erm, I mean adoption.  Yeah, adoption, that's toally what I meant.

for ease of story integration, Kenji-san is with you and has always been with you ^_^ he was assigned to your group as a liason with the Scorpion Clan by Doji Kuwanan and has been partially briefed on the mission

let's welcome Doji Noriko, of the Kakita Bushi School, to our group ^_^

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Thank you.

I'm sorry to say my schedule has not allowed me to read up on the game yet but I hope to do so soonly.

Welcome! Oh, and how many players do we have at this point? Is it just us three?

four:  Daidoji Sakura, Bayushi Kenji, Doji Noriko, and I just added Ichigo, formerly of the Crane Clan
I think Kakita Ukyo and Daidoji Yoshiko are still around though experiencing technical difficulties.

Well, I wouldn't call my problems "technical difficulties."  Still dealing with family fallout.  I hope to be on here more.  :)

ouch, my apologies, I hope everything works out for you

there's a squad of Lion in the distance...
you see them before they see you...
what are you going to do?

Sorry... still trying to catch up.

Waiting on a "real Crane" to respond before I respond for Sakura ...

Am I retconned into the group or will they be meeting me a bit later?

everyone is retconned into the group--in a different situation it would be easier to introduce new players, but at the moment it's just easier if everyone's already part of the group

Please don't wait for me, I'm still trying to find enough time to read back. It's been a hectic few weeks for me.

Sorry for the delay, I was trying to figure out how to respond to that. Sakura is more of a subtle Shugenja, with very little "war" in her repertoire ...

No worries ^_^ when you get to Toshi Ranbo there will definitely be uses for non-bushi/War Shugenja skills and spells ^_^

let's welcome the ronin Kedo who has come to take the place of Daidoji Yoshiko as Daidoji Sakura's yojimbo ^_^

The Department of the Online Relations in the life of Dustin regrets to inform you that we will be unavailable for an indefintie period of time.  We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience of having to find a new game to occupy your time in our absence, but unforeseen occurences have forced us into using infrequet internet connections.

Condolences.





Translation: I've lost my usual internt connection for an indefinite time period.  If someone would like to take over, I would be willing to pass the reins.  Otherwise, I hope my internet comes back to me sooner than it takes for me to lose all of you.  It has been fun.

 Thankyou kindly gentlefolks. And don't go Bayushi, without you around, who's going to kick the bad guys asses for us?! ^_^

Luckily my internet connection has been restored.  I am here to defend the honor of my family.

sorry, guess I should've explained my rationale for the roll ^_^;;;
I know stealth usually uses agility, but since there's not actually anyone for you to hide from, and that would require a perception check, I decided to combine the two rolls to reduce the rolling ^_^;;;

 Should I be threatening to beat people with sticks, or is there a reason no-one's posting? ^_^

I like sticks personally ^_^
I was waiting for Daidoji Sakura, but your threats have proven quite effective--are you sure you're not a Scorpion ^_^

 Who, me?

 No-sir, just a lowly Ronin thinking it might be worthwhile trawling for some new or replacement players. ^_^

Me?

I'm still around.  I am just on here infrequently.  (trying to get on here more often... it was easier when I had access at work, but now it's blocked)

Oooh, that sucks.  Don't ya hate it when work does stuff like that?

it seems live we've bogged down once again, which may be my fault ^_^;;; I really hadn't intended this to be such an arduous portion of the game; if everyone is in agreement, I can fastforeward to your arrival in Toshi Ranbo (and tell you what you would have learned along the way) and advertise for a few replacement players

 Yes, hell yes.

 Truth be told I don't think it would be that bad if people were actually posting, but let's move on! ^_^

Agreed

On palm -- will post tomorrow.

I put up an add in Wanted - Players and got a couple of nibbles so as soon as their character gen is done we'll start with your arrival in Toshi Ranbo.  Since we're just moving forward, would you rather have been captured by the Lion and escorted to Toshi Ranbo or have evaded capture and made it there without incident?

 I'm easy either way, since I'd only be doing Mayhem to someone (and thus being slaughtered by dozens of Lion Ashigaru) if someone threatened Sakura.

I want to say we'd make it there without incident, but considering there's a couple of different groups we'd probably get caught.

I'd prefer to get there without incident, but I'm game with either. Sorry for the delay, by the way, I didn't realize that anyone was waiting on me.

no worries, it was my fault too, I lost track of who had posted last; I thought it had been me, but I was wrong :-(

Just letting everyone know that I'm still here and just waiting on the 4 people who RTJed before the holidays to get their character sheets to me ^_^

I am soon to be in business.  Hi everyone.  Monk advisor here.

For the first time in a long time I am ready to help the Crane... (good that makes me feel a little dirty inside)

Hello everyone,

I'm currently in the process of sorting out my stats and character details.  Courtier Daidoji Tsukiko at your service.

 Pleased to see you. Now let's get moving! ^_^

*bows*

Pleased to meet you ...

*cough*

by popular request, I'm fast forwarding things to your arrival at Toshi Ranbo having successfully avoided capture by Lion forces.  During your travels, subtly prodded by Miya Shiko, you discovered an alarming accumulation of Lion forces at Ninkatoshi.  The story will restart as you exit Lion lands, with Toshi Ranbo within sight.

there are a couple more players that have expressed interest (one of whom I'm just waiting on a name ^_^) but I think we're pretty much ready to start ^_^

I'm also going to do some clean up of our cast list and delete any PCs who haven't logged on for the past couple months--I'll send them a PM first though.  If you're one of those PC's speak now or forever hold your peace ^_^  If you're logging on, but not posting, please post or at least let me know why you're not posting ^_^

any questions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:09, Fri 11 Jan 2008.

I haven't had anything to report, but maybe I do now.

btw Hello Kedo, this is Bayushi Tsuya from the Cherry Blossoms... game that fizzled a few months back.  It is good to see you.

Oh yes and GM-san, how should I go about inserting myself into this group.  I assume I am posted in Ryoko, as an advisor but shall I just walk onto the street?  I am open to whatever you need.

Just wondering, OOC, which suppliments everyone has and whether we can reference them?

I only have the main book.

I'll arrange introductions through Doji Kusanagi, the group's contact in the City--though in the interest of time saving you'll all be aware of each other by reputation at least.

I've got the Core book and Four Winds, though I'm open to other supplements that I don't own as longs as you clear it with me first.  The Core book should cover most of our needs pretty well though ^_^

Okie dokie ^_^.  If I see something useful in Art of Duel for Tsukiko (with duel of wits etc.) in her courtier capacity and I'd like to use it then I'll let you know.  Would that be ok?

Also, are we posting publically known stuff about the characters in this thread?  I'm currently working out background for Tsukiko.  Also I saw that earlier in the OOC thread some of the original players worked out how they were inter-related.  Would we new players need to be doing the same for our characters?

Need to, no, but we (the original players) felt it useful at the time.

FWIW Sakura's history is actually in the (OOC thread, I think) public domain, though obviously not IC knowledge (for most, at any rate ...). The really short version is: if you see me posting about Daidoji Sakura and Shosuro Kasumi it's the same person ... ;D

Oh, and welcome all! :D

what Sakura said ^_^ it was an easy way for the PCs to share info about their characters -- especially the ones with initmately shared history -- since, for the most part, they were all part of a Crane Task Force Unit.

Howdy all.  Just chiming in.  I have the core book and the L5R/D20 Way of the Samurai book.  That's pretty much it.

To Satoru:  I'm currently working out Tsukiko's background and had a thought about how she and Satoru might know each other.  Tsukiko's elder brother, a bushi, died during the clan wars and I wondered if perhaps they might have known each other and been friends.  After the death of her brother (which maybe happened at the same battle that Satoru received his injuries?), Tsukiko kept in contact with Satoru.  how does that sound.

To Sakura:  Seeing as Tsukiko and Sakura are both Daidoji, I wondered if they could somehow be related in some way?  I'm going to make a basic family tree for Tsukiko and post the link to it - maybe then we can decide what the relationship is?  If you're interested, that is.

To GM:  I was wondering (and this is just a suggestion so feel free to disagree ;)) if the already established characters are going to take a while getting set up in the city, would it be worth running a parallel thread for the new characters and then having the two storylines merge?  This would, of course, depend upon the detail you want Chapter 2 to go into.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Mon 14 Jan 2008.

that's a good idea, I'll try to set something up tonight, but if not tomorrow definitely

That sounds wonderful :).  By the way, am I right in thinking that this is set in the year 1129?

On case this is of interest, here is a quick mock up of Tsukiko's immediate family tree - http://www.tellivision.co.uk/i...sukikofamilytree.jpg.  I'll do a better one later.  Once I write up her basic, publically known background then it'll make more sense.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Tue 15 Jan 2008.

As far as Sakura's concerned, that's a trick question ... ;D

Her real name is Shosuro Kasumi; as such you are probably not related on that line

BUT

Her cover started as the last survivor of a now extinguished Daidoji vassal family (the Yagyu family FWIW). While theoretically possible to be related this way, it's very, very, very unlikely

BUT

She was "adopted" by a Daidoji family that has a Shugenja (Daidoji family, Asahina School) as her youngest "uncle". As I haven't gotten any further than one generation above her own, it's possible. Sakura has a younger brother and several older brothers. She has a Daidoji Warrior as a father, one as an uncle and the Shugenja uncle. There may be more uncles and/or aunts, however I haven't detailed them yet.

She does have "relatives" almost everywhere. Her family believes in marrying the women off for connections, and Sakura is no exception -- adopted or not. Sakura's immediate family has dreams of marrying her "up" into the Imperial family.

That help?

Well, just letting the GM know I'm still around, just unsure what exactly to do.

Tsukiko:   Ihave no problem with the history you wish to establish.  You would know then Satoru's former name Doji Hideo.  He was a magistrate who was present for the battles at most of the Crane's Castles and lost his arm in the Battle of Otosan Uchi.  Retired shorly after.

Sakura:  I'd figured she was a Scorpion masquerading as a Crane, but thanks for clarifying the particulars on that one.  I was thinking that perhaps Tsukiko is distantly related (cousins with a few "removals" along the family tree) to Sakura's adopted family.  She would, therefore, likely have heard of Sakura every now and again when keeping up with what's going on in the family (Tsukiko is a courtier after all ;)) but she may not really have met her.  Does that sound plausible?

Satoru: That sounds great to me.  How would you feel about Satoru having been the one to bring news of the death of Daidoji Katsunan (Tsukiko's elder brother) during the Battle of Otosan Uchi (I couldn't find a precise date for it in the core book - but I'll change Katsunan's death date to match it), to Tsukiko's family?  I don't want to impinge upon your plans for Satoru, but perhaps he could be one of the few people Tsukiko trusts and confides in to any great extent?


Also, if anyone else wants to have a connection to Tsukiko then that would be great and we can work that out.  I'm still finalising the details to Tsukiko's character and background but hopefully the more publically known stuff will be up on her character details page by the weekend.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:41, Tue 15 Jan 2008.

As a courtier you would have inevitably heard about her exploits at the Battle of Otosan Uchi. Her "ronin magics" (She is a Tejina and so knows "Shadow" Magics) turned out to be quite useful to the Daidoji generals. No one has, as of yet, bothered asking how she came upon them ...

I like the cousin idea. Given the nature of her adopted family, I think it's quite likely. You could have even been "assigned" to help get her married off to a Seppun (think "hidden guard").

[Note: I don't actually expect that to happen ...]

 And of course I'm just Sakuras lowly ronin sidekick, here to amble along cheerfully in her wake, occasionally rattle my scabbard at people upon her behalf and sometimes say insightful things without really meaning to.

 Or I would be if we got off our backsides and went out to have things happen! ^_^

I really like that idea *VBG*.

Tsukiko, would you like me to have returned his swords to your family?  Cause thats always a nice twist.  Also how old are you? (man that sounds creepy) but I would like to know so I can define whether Satoru looks at you as a peer, a successor to your brother or asa little sister type character.

Sakura you're a tejina? I was too in the last game I played and oddly enough Kedo was my side kick.  Although I was a bit rude to him towards the end of our game.

*nods* "Cherry Blossoms", ne? I was Shiba Kenichi in that one, one of my few attempts at an honorable character ... ;p  Kenichi, ironically enough, had quite a bit in common with Kedo as well.

 Of course, you realise that the reason for this is that Kedo represents the pure distilate of every bad, low-budget samauri (heh) movie you ever saw refined down into one crystalised mass of pure cheese and ham, which is why you are all touched by his shadow. ^_^

My tejina sure did like her cheese and ham...

I'm sure Tsukiko (and her father) would have been most grateful to Satoru in doing this so, yes, I think it's a nice twist.  It would certainly have cemented Tsukiko's high opinion of him (initially formed from what her brother would have told her about Satoru)



She's 22 (although this may change slightly as I'm still not entirely certain about which year we're playing in).  How about Satoru?  I see from his character details that you describe him as being young, but I was uncertain how young you meant.

The time frame is "immediately after the Clan War". Totouri is Emperor, but not for very long. I think Sakura is actually quite "old" for the setting, mid 20's at least, since her story starts before the Scorpion's downfall ...

That's what I thought, but reading the CB, I got a bit confused as to which battle of Otosan Uchi was being referred to.  I assume it's the Second Day of Thunder (year 1128) rather than the Fall of Otosan Uchi (year 1159)?  Sorry if I'm coming across as being a bit dense; I just wanted to check is all.

No problem that I see.  It is most likely 1129, right after the battle during the Second Day of Thunder.  Satoru is young for a monk.  He is not young compared to your average samurai.  He is in his 30s mid to late.  But without his arm & earlier events making him feel slightly disgraced, he retired.  Yet still wished to serve his clan so he is still helping in terms of advising and teaching.  Honorable tasks.

sorry, RL got really busy all of a sudden, but I'm back ^_^
I'll just push everyone foreward into the city, starting with your interview with Doji Kusanagi ^_^

Ok, well Katsunan, Tsukiko's brother, would have been in his mid-twenties so perhaps he was a junior officer, maybe a Gunso (Sergeant) under Satoru's command?  That way they would have had to work closely, but Satoru was more mentor to Katsunan can peer although they struck up a strong friendship during the time (say, 5 years?) between Katsunan being promoted to sergeant and his death on the Second Day of Thunder.  How does that sound?

random point of IC/OOC knowledge, Daidoji Sakura just dropped an informational bombshell.  While an immanent Lion invasion of Toshi Ranbo is always a possiblity, the fact of an actual Lion army camped within striking range of the City is cause for serious alarm.  Doji Kusanagi, among others, had no knowledge of this development (sorry for not making that clear)

Would it be possible to have a list of who is in the room at Toshi Ranbo, PC-wise?    I'm a little confused about who Tsukiko is dealing with.

Also, I'm assuming that if the 'bombshell' stays in the IC thread then Kedo's in for a bit of a grilling about the matter :).  Tsukiko would still be taking Sakura to see the Daidoji captain (the term used in Emerald Empire for that rank is Taisa - I realise I forgot to explain that).  Would he be in the same building complex or another one in Toshi Ranbo?

Asahina Jiro, Bayushi Kenji, Daidoji Sakura, Daidoji Tsukiko, Kakita Ukyo, Kedo, and Satoru are present; of those Bayushi Kenji, Daidoji Sakura, Kakita Ukyo, and Kedo are the new arrivals to the City;

Taisa Daidoji Ryu would be stationed in the complex you're in now, but he's usually out on the battlements overseeing readiness drills and the like.

EDIT:  Because I can't find a cannon reference or map for Toshi Ranbo, I'm making it up ^_^

Toshi Ranbo is divided into four districts or quarters and the inner city.
There's the Merchant's Quarter, the Peasant's Quarter, the Clan Quarter (where the majority of the non-Crane reside), and the Crane Quarter.  The Inner City (where you're at now) is the residence of the higher ranking Crane, most military officers, and diplomatic representatives from the other Clans.  The Outer City is protected by two walls, and a third wall divides the quarters into the inner and outer districts.  Finally, there is another wall separating the districts from the Inner City.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:34, Wed 23 Jan 2008.

 I'm rather looking forwards to the interrogation... I'll need to go and watch that episode of Firefly again I think. ^_^

The party is splitting up--an event I should have prepared for, but didn't ^_^;;;
can everyone tell me who's travelling with whom so I can separate you into groups so that we're not stumbling over everyone's posts.

Right now I've got
1-Bayushi Kenji (closed)
2-Kedo, Dadoji Sakura, Daidoji Tsukiko

anyone else want to do something different from these two groups?

 Heh, normally I would be Sakuras shadow, but since I've been dismissed I'm rather left to my own devices for a while - so assume Kedo will head for the nearest bath that a Ronin is allowed to use, after which...

 ...Shinsei only knows - I have absolutely no reason to be here beyond travelling and trying to learn things, so I'll probably gravitate to wherever smithing is done. I might want to watch the Crane swordsman practice, but in *this* city in these colours I might as well paint 'spy, hang me dishonourably now' on my back. ^_^

don't make up reasons to not go somewhere, watching bushi train isn't all that unusual a past-time--now if you were going to check out siege engines or wall defenses, then maybe they'd hang you ^_^

 As long as they're IC reasons, I'm okay with it - if I was a Clan bushi it would be less of an issue, but the Crane really aren't all that fond of Ronin and 'better safe than sorry' seems to be a good watchword.

I hated to do this, but I didn't really have a choice. Just remember, if you get stopped and someone asks who you are tell them that you are under Sakura's employ.

I've lost enough Yojimbo on this trip, I don't need to loose another one!

LOL!

 Come on, who's going to kill some random philosophical Bushi wandering around looking at Crane forges where... there secret... techniques are...

 Okay, so you might want to put out a want ad.

 In the meantime, I might want a post of some sort from whoever is left. ^_^

That sounds fine.

BTW my apologies everyone friday- monday was an inexplicably crazy time for me.  Nonetheless I return trying to find my place again.

Okay, current group count:
Group 1 - Daidoji Sakura, Daidoji Tsukiko, Kakita Ukyo?
Group 2 - Bayushi Kenji
Group 3 - Kedo
Group 4 - Asahina Jiro, Satoru

 Well, I hardly count as a group.

 Truth be told with no particular agenda or connections here, I might as well just bimble around until things happen.

 Oooh, but this is five hundred posts!
This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Fri 25 Jan 2008.

Well, I often find with RPGs that you never know what is going to happen whilst bimbling about ;).

Oh, and I'm going away until sometime on Sunday.  I may have internet time but it all depends upon whether my Mac wants to talk to the network of the house I'm going to.  GM, if Tsukiko needs to do something urgently during that time, I give permission for her to written by you - I'm assuming at least some aspects of the way she reacts will be evident :).
This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Fri 25 Jan 2008.

Errr ... that would be counter-productive. The Honorable Kakita are never told of the workings of us lowly Daidoji, and Ukyo is quite honorable if memory serves. Sakura would have objected immediately -- politely at first, bluntly if required.

Sorry to be a pain, but this is a critical point. Sakura would never have made Kedo wander if she thought that an Honorable Bushi could be exposed ...

np, unless anyone has objections Kakita Ukyo will switch over to Satoru and Jiro's group (Doji Kusanagi probably needs to hear the news from someone who was there first hand anyway ^_^)

*bows*

Thank you!

No qualms here.

Apologies for my delay in posting - life caught up with me for a few days.

np ^_^ I completely understand how RL goes ^_^

quick question:  does everyone like the separate group thing for when the party splits up or would it be better to keep things in separate threads open for everyone to see?

and random other point, if you're looking for other party members just go back to the Group 0 main thread so that I know if people are in the same general location ^_^
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:47, Sat 02 Feb 2008.

Well, I like it either way.  I've run games where the threads are open for others to view, but I've played in games where each group's threads are opened for viewing after they're closed.

I like it being hidden; simply because it adds a sense of realism (and stops metagaming - not that I've seen any of that in this game, but it's helped in other online games I've played) and it allows filtering of information depending upon how much the players want other players to know :).

I wouldn't be adverse to opening up threads once they're finished, if that's what everyone wants, though.

Well, I like it open -- but that's just me being selfish. ;p

With a character like Sakura, I expect that her "true identity" will never get exposed to the other characters. Somehow, though, if the other players never know it kinda mutes things so that it's not quite as fun for me ...

I am impartial in games I run I do a little bit of both with a dash of private posting occuring as well. But I do this in order to allow those secretive characters the security they want as well as presenting a clearer Game Page when people open the game.  Too many posts can sour a players experience.

It appears my Kakita & Asahina have been scared off by my missing limb.  I shall search for the Bayushi & Kedo alone then.

 Looks like there is an advantage to wandering off by yourself I'm rather enjoying things. ^_^

I think I'm gonna have to wait for the GM to reply before we continue, Sakura.

did I answer your question or is there still something you need to know?

np, Toshi Ranbo, despite being a Crane city, was designed by the Lion and has an extremely military design.  Because the city continues to be hotly contested territory, the Crane have had neither the opportunity nor the inclination to change it very much.

The Inner City, consisting of limited--hence highly prized--real estate, is centered around the Tsume Palace.

The Tsume Palace is the residence of all of the most highly ranked Crane and the only place in the Inner City where non-Crane are given housing.  Most of the suites remain empty--being at all times ready for the Emperor, Clan Champions, and Family Daimyo.  This is also the housing for the various Clan representatives--though as a military and political precaution only the representative, his/her spouse, and her/his yojimbo live there.  Servants, clerks, and aides of non-Crane must find housing outside the Inner City.  The Tsume Palace is also where all court functions are held.

Surrounding the Tsume Palace is the Courtier's district.  This is the home for all courtiers, aides, clerks, monks and scholars of the Crane Clan.  Small temple complexes are scattered throughout the district--generally those who can afford to pay a steep rent to the Crane Clan (though none would be so crass as to suggest it were so).  As you can imagine, it holds a wide variety of housing options, ranging from barely affordable to extremely expensive.

To the South of the Courtier's district is the Daidoji Complex.  It is a veritable fortress in and of itself--and the only place in all of Toshi Ranbo with restricted access to a single Family.

To the East is the Shugenja/Artisan district.  This is where most of the less important Crane Shugenja and Artisans live and practice their crafts.  Like the Courtier's district, it's really more of a mishmash of buildings where people live and work rather than a single unified complex.

To the West and North is the Bushi district.  Like the other districts of the Inner City it is both a living area and a place to train.  Homes that double as dojo line the streets like modern day coffee shops and at any given time no fewer than three duels take place at once.  This is the most crowded and least expensive of the Inner City districts--though cheaper housing can be found in the Outer City as well.

Anything else in particular that anyone else is looking for?

 A reply in my most excellently unfolding thread whenever you make a long post somewhere else?

 Ahem. ^_^

Looks great to me - thanks for the info.

*goes off to post*

just to recap since everyone should be moving back to the main thread:

Daidoji Tsukiko and Daidoji Sakura are entering the Bushi district from the eastern Artisan/Shugenja district.

Kedo is in the Bushi district, drawing a curious crowd as he spars with Kakita Tsutomu

Bayushi Kenji, Satoru, and anyone else who's playing are entering the Bushi district from the Courtier's district.

 Well, we *are* in his Dojo so I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that it's only his students who are forming the crowd... And anyone else who wandered into a Crane sword school of course.

 Come to think of it, they tend to be somewhat open-plan. Ho hum. ^_^

Grrr... I'm sorry.  Life has just been wretched for about the last year and I haven't been able to dedicate much time to RPOL.  (and this is the only game I'm playing!)

My humblest apologies, but I must bow out.  I have tried and tried to stick with it, but since my absence last year with my mother's illness and subsequent death, my life has become way too hectic and busy to keep up with anything.

Thanks for giving me a shot, but Kakita Ukyo will have to get assassinated in the street or something.  :)

no worries on our account.

my condolences regarding your mother.  I hope things get better for you soon.

Hello everyone, new add to the game just thought i would say hello!

Welcome :)

Howdy!

greetings

So here is a short version of my history and persoality.

Akibieden is a veteran of a decade of fighting, starting when the lion last attacked Toshi Ranbo in 1120. With the scorpion coup three years later he found himself once again thrust into the breach. His unit was decorated for valor after taking the walls around the gate house and ending the deadly archer fire that was destroying the allied forces below. His commander died in the action and based on the testimony of Aki’s peers he was promoted. Since then their never has been more than 6 months without warfare for Aki. He has seen horrors unheard off, fighting the legions of goblins and oni brought forth by the crab, but nothing scared him more than battling his own fallen kinsmen as they marched under the false Hotori. Aki did not fight in the last day of thunder, but he did fight that day in a small village where the dark lord’s minions made one last desperate stand.
He is a spearman in the crane stile, and as such has been called on again and again to hold the line while the Didoji heavies struck the enemy. He is not a glorious war hero but he knows and accepts his place on the field. Without the sacrifices he and men like him have made the crane would surely have fallen, this knowledge more than anything shapes his personality. He is always ready to aid another gain victory by placing himself in front of the charge. He is a quiet but diliberate speaker. With a tendency to speak the truth. He plays the flute and has often been promted to by fellow soldiers on dark lonely nights. Aki is a loyal freind and a rathfull enemy. His life has been forfiet so many times, to place it on the line for honor or freindship is seen as a blessing.

By the way who is local to Toshi Ranbo, my character has been stationed here off and on through out his career. In fact much of his adult life has been spent standing on the walls and in the gates of this city. Currently he is a sargent of the gaurd.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Thu 21 Feb 2008.

Sakura's not really local to anywhere. You might have seen her here once or twice, but probably not for very long. She's very hard to forget though ...

Sakura did fight at the Day of Thunder, aiding a party of Daidoji. Nobody talks about what they actually did though ...

Such is the reality of war. Leave the heroics and romance to the poets and their pillow books. War is work, and like every job it has it's dirty parts.

You will know Satoru, he is a monk who is advising and teaching at Toshi Ranbo. How personal the relationship is... we can work out together.

My school has the "Tsume pikeman" alternate path so depending on how the GM feels about it if you where a teacher hear you may have tutored me. By the way did you know the meaning of your characters name? "To attain enlightenment"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:42, Sat 23 Feb 2008.

Sorry for the silence, I'm moving today so I've been saying farewell to some of the friends this week and packing up all of my junk... I mean my stuff ;).  Aaaanyway, I'll trundle over to the IC thread and write something now.

Tsukiko's been stationed at Toshi Ranbo for a few years, along with her ward, Saburo, who is her younger brother.  She's slowly making a name in courtier circles in the city and tries to emulate her great aunt, Doji Hisako, who is a eminent Crane courtier.

She's friends with Satoru, having heard much of him from her elder brother, who was one of Satoru's junior officers.  Satoru brought Katsunan's Daisho back to the family after the Battle of Otosan Iuchi when Katsunan died.

Perhaps it was fate that drew me to the name. I often try to pick out names that have meanings for my character but for Satoru's case I just glanced at the common names section in 3e core book. How neat. Thank you for the info.

I just translated it online for fun.  http://www.animelab.com/anime.manga/translate

Kenji's name is also fitting it directly translates to "procurator" someone who acts on another’s behalf, like a political hostage perhaps. If you break it into Ken Ji it means "Sword Hour".

Tsukiko as Tsu Kiko = Steal banner and drums.

Kedo’s name is the hardest, it translates directly to the conjunction “but”. Although the word Ke means house so as a stretch it could mean “the way of the house” as the suffix Do means “way of”, but Do is also the word for a small “counter for occurrences“, like a Go stone. So ostensibly it could mean “a house of one” but that’s a real stretch.

My name is a Japanese sounding version of the famous Greek figure Alcibiades name.

I believe Kedo has the meaning of his name down pat, if memory serves it is indeed "House of One" or something along those lines.

 *Grins*

 I have few talents, but internet reference-finding is amongst them. I actually chose it as meaning something not unlike 'but' or 'however'. though I believe it also has connotations of 'gate' as well as the broken-down version.

 I do like the 'house of one' interpretation however - very poetic.

Sakura -- "Cherry Blossom", often a reference to innocent young women.
Kasumi -- "Haze or Mist", mysterious connotations that are not unheard of among Ninja.

;D Yes, I chose them both on purpose.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm off to find my answers. You know, I wasn't actually "in charge" of the traveling group until all my superiors left the game ...

*grins*

Oh sorry daidoji sama. I didn't mean to leave you out I just read your name and assumed everyone knew what it ment and implied.

NP. I just figured I'd chime in ...

I probably should have said "Pure young woman" instead of "innocent". In an odd, and quite ironic, sort of way she is actually quite pure. Not honorable, but pure ... ;p

(Yes, I am a fan of Sakura Wars. Somehow, though, I didn't think the GM would allow a Mecha in this campaign ... *LOL*)

As far as I know, Tsukiko means 'Moon Child' - considering how graceful and serene things look like in the moonlight, I figured it was a good name for her :D

left the game? or removed? duhn duhhn DUUUUHHHHH!!!!!!!!

But seriously I joined this game late, did you kill anyone? :D

just to note, Asahina Jiro suffered an inconvenient computer breakdown, but is now back.  I've reinserted him into the game and introduced him retroactively when Kasarugi was introducing Kusanagi and Akibieden.

no, I probably would not have allowed any mecha, but you never know ^_^ if you had come up with a really compelling reason, anything is possible ^_^

Nope, though I'm not sure anyone stuck around long enough ... ;p. LOL!

Seriously, though, I don't do "player vs. player"; not my schtick. Now I did almost kill the Imperial Messenger, but then I realized that it wouldn't do any good anyways ...

Oh, Kedo-San -- the "overstatement" was on purpose. "Master Warrior" + "Ronin" = "Almost respectable" or "maybe he's as good as my worthless nephew" in many eyes ... ;D

(Meddler? Manipulator? What's the difference? ;p)

 Whereas I am of course more concerned with the possible consequences of 'so, you think a Ronin might actually have some worth do you?' which could very well lead to my being asked to show my stance to some Crane hatchet-man just to put you in your place.

 But then, I'm used to rather hardball Rokugani politics. ^_^

At which point I would be forced to remind them not to <censored> with a Daidoji. ;}

Yes, our styles are very different ... which is one of the reasons I'm enjoying it so much.

 I'm rather more concerned that you might not be given the chance to do so until after I'm two cooling halves - there's a Dragon school for duelling that's the full match of the Kakita one, coming at it from the other side (Kakita teaches to duel, then to use duelling techniques in battle, the dragon one teaches battle techniques, then using them in a duel) and I don't have it.

 I've got a bit of void, some slight reflexes and not a lot else to carry me through the consequences of some Crane taking offence at me. But he'll scold you ICly, once you're alone... it doesn't do to be indiscrete in public. ^_^

Remember the Black lion did allot to better the name of the ronin in rokugan. The fact that the now emporer was general of an all ronin force that saved the empire is not soon forgoten. While this may not change the general station of a ronin it certinely will afford you a slight bit more respect.

well, since we now have an official AEG map, I'm going to have to make some revisions ^_^;;;  can you tell me where you found that map (just so that I can go through my books and see if there are any more details be had) thanks ^_^

sorry I didn't mean to step on any toes i just happened to have it.
I got it off the L5R forum ( www.alderac.com/forum )so i'm not shure witch book it came from. The map is just the fortress it's self though. it doesn't show any of the town around it so you could just keep the areas of interest the same :)
I tried to show this on the larger view by pasteing it over the map of another town...lol.

Here is a link to the jpg though.
http://i22.photobucket.com/alb...ames/Toshi_Ranbo.jpg

EDIT: I sent the original poster a PM so hopfully he gets back to me about witch book it is from. the art lokks like first ed though so i would check the way of the lion and crane books of mabey the gm's survival guide.

EDIT 2:Legacy Of The Forge ($5.00 US on E-bay)
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Mon 25 Feb 2008.

no stepped on toes, just a lack of resources on my part ^_^

but I think I may have that one on PDF somewhere ^_^ (if not I'll just fake it ^_^)
in the meantime (since it won't be critical until we start Mass Combat) I return you to your regularly scheduled game (sorry for the interruption)

Actually just bought legacy of the forge on Drivethrurp last night (I lost my old copy). It was 5.95 if memory serves but a pretty decent PDF from the glancing I gave it. I could put up the photo on Frappr or something Kaze if the XP price was right :)

or I could be a good little playerand shoot it to you via email, which ever you prefer.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Mon 25 Feb 2008.

 I'll post as soon as I get a reply from the GM - actually *having* some ranks in Battle, even if I just fluffed the roll might provide some small measure of insight into things, but I need a little more to go on than 'there's a map with stuff on it'. ^_^

Sorry about not posting for the longest time, I suffered total hard drive failure and just got my comp back.  GM told me to just insert myself in the thread, hope no one minds, 'cause I already did.

about my caracters outburst...

So i like to play my disadvantages. and my char has several including brash. so i decided i woud roll etiquette vs tn 20 to see if he would espouse his opinion, figured i would be safe with 6k4 but oops i rolled an 18. ^_^

that's what disads are for ^_^  besides, I always like to see PCs playing their disads as actual disadvantages rather than just numbers on their sheets and forcing me to enforce them (no one here has done that, which I greatly appreciate ^_^) and/or getting rude and insulting with other PCs and then saying "it's my disad, deal with it" (also not something I've seen from you guys ^_^)

Well if I ever try to act like I have two hands, cut me down man. Cause I am suffering from the Taint.

Tsukiko who besides satoru is a monk?