The newcomers, Seppun of some sort, opened their mouths to speak but were silenced when Otomo Rina raised her hand. She wanted to see just what these Magistrates had to say about this ... unusual occurrence.

Sorano stared at the sword for a long moment, seemingly lost in contemplation.  Such a relic seemed quite impossible... and yet, here it was.  Fascinating.

The rustle of the newcomers' entrance intruded upon her meditations; she heard them abruptly stop.  The Otomo.  The Fox supposed she must seek answers; the questions were surely forming.

Her eyes gleamed in the dim light as she began to chant.

Casting Commune Void: 44
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Wed 22 Aug 2018.

OOC: Sorry misread.  I think you're waiting on me now!

Eyes held purposefully off of Sorano as she worked, Akio acted in what was often a secondary capacity of his job, which was to entertain while Sorano did the important work.  It was often a difficult job because the Lion was horribly curious to find out what she knew.

"... and for those of you who don't know, please allow me to introduce Seppun."  A hand-wave toward where the apparition had both appeared and disappeared.  His mind connected dots - Nabiki, heir, Rina, readiness.   Specifically why Rina had been chosen even though she might not be the obvious choice.

With a sigh, he handed the now rolled scroll back to Zenzen.  "Best kept safe here, I would think.  We'll return when she's ready."

The Kitsu's dark, piercing eyes drifted toward Otomo Rina and settled on her.  It was still somewhat speculation, but if she was who Seppun was talking about she had some big shoes to fill.  Even if there was doubt in his mind on if Seppun was referring to Rina or Yuki, he put forth full confidence the reference was to Rina.  If it was the elder Otomo, she'd be better suited to take care of herself - moreso than a 4 year old who needed to be kept track of.

With Sorano still chanting, the Lion's attention turned toward the newcomers.

"Kitsu Akio," he introduced himself in a manor as for them to reciprocate.  "Emerald Magistrate."  His clothing would have told the latter, but it was added for clarity... there was enough going on that one could be forgiven for missing details.

"I am Seppun Akira" the younger of the two -- a Bushi from the looks of it -- said. "This is Seppun Ichiro-Sama, head teacher of the Seppun Shugenja School."

"Seppun-sama, have you had the chance to see these artifacts before?"

Something of smalltalk as Akio stalled.  This was not something he was particularly gifted at, but then he had little of great interest to discuss until Sorano was done with her analysis.

Sorano shivered as she emerged from her trance. Whatever it was she had seen, it was quiescent now.  As she collected herself and stood, she heard Akio-san talking to the newcomers; she bowed politely.

Turning to Otomo Rina, she bowed again before speaking.

"I believe I may have some answers, Otomo-sama.  Though they may pose yet further questions."

The Fox hesitated, emerald eyes darting briefly to the Seppun.  Her own question was obvious, but left safely unspoken.

There were too many high-ranking people around for little Yuki to speak up, assuming she had something to say. Not because she was so well disciplined (though, growing up in a monastery made that true as well), but rather shyness. Speaking around such strangers was just too much trouble.

Her adopted mother, however, did not have such a problem.

"I'm certain this will help us, but we also need access to the main libraries" she said to Rina. "For more information about Seppun-no-Kami and her children, and the genealogies as well I believe."

"Just the sword, and just once" Seppun Akira replied to Akio. "But it disappeared the second I was alone with it." He was miffed at what happened here, but would say nothing. At least, not around the Daimyo of the Otomo.

"I apologize for not telling you sooner" Zenzen said with a bow. "These Magistrates have already determined that the Sword you held was a trickster spirit in the form of the sword rather than the real one."

Rina, meanwhile, was in no mood to dawdle. There was a library to explore in the name of the Emperor.

"I believe" she replied carefully to Sorano, "that it would be best to discuss these issues later. I have an appointment later that I cannot miss, and we haven't hit the library yet. Let's reseal this place until we receive wisdom from the Son of Heaven."

That suited the two newest Seppun, and Zenzen did not object. and a few minutes later the small group was at the Imperial Libraries, with the unusual space resealed. The two Seppun were not happy, to say the least, but when the Daimyo of the Otomo spoke, the Emperor spoke.

[Available rolls at this portion of the Library that I can think of. I'm willing to entertain other ideas:
Easter Egg: Lore History (blind; let me know of any specializations you might have).
Lore History (early empire/pre-kami empire emphasis applies).
Genealogy & related Lores.
Founding of the Empire Lores.
Seppun specific Lores.

Because you're at the library, you can make these rolls unskilled. (In other words, even if you roll unskilled 10s explode as usual.
]

Akio wasn't terribly happy either - wanting to know more about what was happening, but his eyes especially lingering on the suit of armor.

The thought, though, of getting to roam the Seppun libraries cheered him up.  "You're right.  We should go.  Though I'll take that at a promise that I'll be able to return to examine these things."

Akio was ready to move on, despite an increase in number of people in their group - particularly the Seppun who seemed to have no love for them being there.

"Of course, Otomo."
Sorano bowed gracefully to Rina, and gathered her things.

She took the response in stride; it was far better to discuss these matters with as few as possible until a decision could be made.  The patient hunter knew when to be cautious.

Talking to Seppun, and perhaps even Otomo, is all maybe normal for some of those present, but for Hoshi, it is as if she was thrown off a quay: very suddenly over her head.  Now she finds herself in a library for the first time.  At very least her sister is with her to give her some guidance, but beyond being quiet and attentive, she feels there is nothing she can add.

As with her mistress, Yumiko is well out of her depth. Tanuki and ninetails, trickster spirits and the secrets of the void. Still, Yumiko knew how to be patient. The nature of the secrets that were revealed here might be beyond her ken, but their effects would be felt across the political landscape--and that was what she needed to keep an eye out for.

[OOC: I'm just waiting for the first 100+ to be rolled by one of this party ... It'll probably be Hoshi in the midst of combat.]

The party started looking for ... well, anything. They were all out of their depth, this being an Imperial Library and all. Even Urako was more used to libraries dealing with Kami and Theology. And while Otomo Rina was rather enjoying it, it seemed like every story that seemed to lead in the right direction took a sharp turn. This was ...

Well, maybe not all of the party was out of their depth.

Kitsu Akio stared at the decorations on the book case. They were familiar. Very familiar. Too familiar.

"Well" Otomo Rina said to no one in particular, "the first Librarian was a Kitsu married into the Seppun family by Imperial Decree. Meticulous from what I'm seeing."

And that explained it.

Akio's mother once showed him how certain Kitsu Librarians had special bookcases made, or sometimes made them themselves, to hide the extra-special records. They would copy them meticulously, then hide the original and petition the Kami to keep them safe. While each bookcase was different, there were certain similarities ...

This bookcase had eight special decorations with strong Kitsu magic. Akio was able to find six records hidden behind six decorations. Two of the decorations were mysteriously missing contents -- there was obviously something there at one point. Scrolls most likely. But there wasn't anything there anymore. Would there be anything of value in those left?

Naturally.

Right there, in the first scroll, the Ancestry of the Seppun.

"The Holiest of Celestial Servants and her husband, Akagi had six children -- four sons, two of whom died in battle; and two daughters, one of whom died in childbirth (the baby died as well)."

"Anzu -- Eldest Remaining Son -- Warrior. Founder of the Miharu."

"Nabiki -- Remaining Daughter -- Heir to the Most Holy of Celestial Servants. Missing in service to the Emperor. Disappeared after battling bandits; last seen wandering the mountains. Why has she not come back?"

"Kichi -- Youngest Child -- Not a proper mystical heir, but he will craft what he can from the Wisdom of Rokugan. It will have to do until his sister comes back."

The descendants of Nabiki is blank. A big question mark, basically. The other two -- the sons -- were recorded for about two hundred years before the scroll was copied and sealed.

But that was why all memory of Nabiki disappeared -- she would supplant the Seppun Shugenja School. Could? Perhaps?

Akio's Kitsu lips parted in a soft chuckle.  His eyes remained fixed on the scroll as he began to read for the rest of the people in the room.

"An Akodo, a Matsu and a Kitsu walk into a geisha house..." he begins to read off of the scroll.  "Sadly, nothing more here than some rather naughty early history Lion humor," he explains as he rolls the scroll and places it into his scroll case for safe keeping.  "Still, it's definitely old enough that some monk will dedicate his life to finding hidden meaning."

It was a lie, of course.  Akio was certain that if anyone knew that Sorano would.  The Lion's normally perfectly straight and strong posture looking somewhat wobbly - perhaps it was a really good joke.

"We should get on into the library," he cast a glance toward Rina.  "But I think it might be crowded.  I would suspect that Otomo Hoshi would guarantee your safety... Perhaps the guards could wait near the entry?" It was a poorly concealed appeal to the woman's desire to get lost in the library without too much company.  Akio wanted a moment to talk to the Otomo (x3), and that likely would include the secretary.  And the Kitsune was harmless too, wasn't she?

Whatever Akio wanted to discuss he wasn't comfortable with so many ears hearing it, particularly not the Seppun.  At least not yet.

[OOC: Sorry, I wasn't clear -- the stuff you just found was in the Seppun Libray. There is no more library to explore. Well, not with this excuse, at any rate. The next place is back to the gathering. Sorta ...]

Zenzen had left, most likely while they were all focusing on the library, leaving poor Sakura as the hostess for the small party. Still, they were done with the libraries -- and the new Lord of the Otomo had things to do. So Sakura escorted the group to the exit while the other two Seppun looked for the now missing Zenzen.

Which meant, of course, that they would be out of the Magistrates' hair.

Returning to Kyuden Otomo was quick and easy. Finding a room to discuss things privately would normally have been difficult at best. But with the Daimyo with you, it was rather easy. Rina took a seat and invited the others to sit. The places to her right and left were reserved for the other two Otomo in the room. The others might be trusted outsiders, but they were still outsiders.

She then looked at Akio.

"Go ahead."

Akio paused, caught between highs of uncovering secrets left buried for centuries and the realities of what exposing them might mean.  That it gave the man who valued truth so highly pause spoke of its weight.

"The scroll... its written testimony of the offspring of Seppun.  Anzu, of course, the oldest surviving son.  Founder of the miharu.  Also Kichi, the youngest."  He left the name, assuming everyone knew who had founded the Seppun Shugenja School.

"Nabiki, the child mentioned earlier, was the middle child.  She was last seen wandering in the mountains.  Coupled with Seppun's proddings... well, you might have sisters, so to speak." A glance toward Hoshi, "While I can't say for certain who the heirs might be, it seems that Yuki is a key to that mystery."  Without, calling out that he suspected it might be Yuki herself.

These revelations caught Otomo Rina's attention. Actual proof that yet another sub-family of Seppun -- one described as "Lady Seppun's Heir" was, most definitely, of Imperial interest. If some random family was to claim to be the heir of one of the most powerful families in all of Rokugan, that could cause a crisis.

No wonder this was hidden from the public.

"We'll keep this to ourselves" she said after a moment. "For now, at least. It would not do to cause an unnecessary panic -- or opportunists."

She then turned to Otomo Hoshi.

"Officially, we're not going to order you to investigate this ... but it needs investigating."

No paper trail. And since no one else was allowed to know this, who would investigate it? Only the small party. If they could find a way to investigate without investigating that was.

It was a deception worthy of the Otomo name.

After the secret compartments are revealed, Hoshi takes a moment to inspect them by running her fingers along the interior of the ones found without contents.  For the time being, she keeps her thoughts to herself.

Later then, they she silently reflects on how this is an unfortunate business on what should be a different day, of introductions and fame.  Are she and her sister not due at least that?  Perhaps it will come.  Surely everyone who matters knows their names now, with how they were received.

  A smile bends her lips before Rina speaks.  Hoshi bows slightly to her lord and speaks confidently: "I could not advise an official investigation; for there has been no crime for me to investigate.  Whoever removed the missing item did so in the normal fashion.  The absence is a matter of a librian's book keeping.  Yet, I agree there is a possibility of pretenders taking advantage of the situation.  Every measure should be taken to safeguard against that kind of upstart."

  Satisfied with herself, Hoshi glances to her sister, then to the non Otomo in the room, who are liabilities.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:03, Sat 22 Sept 2018.

Sorano quietly marveled at the vast splendor of the library.  The sheer size of it put that of Kyuden Kitsune to shame; no thrice-overflowing shelves would be fit for the Child of Heaven.  She was in the midst of planning how best to apportion the search amongst the group - it could still take weeks to find their quarry! - when Akio popped open a hidden cache and rendered the search completed.

Astounding.  Frustrating.

The chance to undertake such a thrilling hunt - to explore such a wondrous place! - snapped closed like a trap.

She quietly wrung her hands, safely hidden inside her sleeves.  She drew a deep breath and smothered the bittersweet thoughts of 'perhaps' and 'possibly'.  Best not to covet the impossible.

Akio's prize was quite an effective distraction.  While not the acclaimed scholar of ancestries the Lion was, this was quite the momentous find.  And, she quickly realized, one of rather terrifying potential.

The Otomo spoke sensibly of discretion.  Sorano waited to her turn and gave the requisite bow of acknowledgement.

She waited politely until her turn to speak, returning to the discussion deferred before.   "Otomo-dono, the... Objects we discovered earlier.  Their spirits were quite awake, and also spoke of the Heir.  They spoke of one still young, and unlearned of magic."

She spared a polite glance at the other shugenja.  "If one could be granted a moment to confer.  The remainder of their words were of theological significance.  One wishes to provide information of utmost accuracy."

This message was last edited by the player at 05:45, Wed 26 Sept 2018.

Akio had little more to say, other than a nod to the request given from Otomo to Otomo though he was skeptical of what else they could find - the connection would be dozens of generations between, difficult to prove.  The testimony of Seppun might go furthest... but that didn't mean that he wasn't willing to try.  Anything to get a chance to someday revisit the Otomo library.

He waited silently as Sorano requested a council.  There was plenty of time.  Centuries had already passed, he doubted that another few minutes would be of matter.

Rina smiled at Hoshi. The former's meaning had, indeed, been understood. Yes, this is what was needed ...

At the mention of Theology, Otomo Rina relaxed somewhat. Theory -- book learning -- was something that she was more than comfortable with.

"They were quite old, from before the founding of the Empire. Since the current Theology was drawn from the knowledge we gained from when the Kami fell from the heavens, I would expect them to be somewhat different. From my readings about Lady Seppun's Magics, I would expect their magics to be different."

"Then again, the subtleties remaining in the Isawa records shows us that the magics of the Phoenix are also different than they were before the Kami fell."

"The Blood Magics of the Isawa have been altered, but the magics of Lady Seppun held no such thing. But they were somehow even stronger than Isawa's ... I have always wondered why she stayed at the Emperor's side instead of facing off against the Lost Kami."

"I assume that's what you refer to? That, without sufficient care things might be misinterpreted as 'heresy'?"

Otomo Rina was not comfortable with her new position within the Empire; but books ... knowledge ... there were rumors that she was a Sage in her own right, that it was not merely deference to the Otomo that caused her to get the reputation ... these rumors might even be true.

Listening as Rina went through her lecture on the theology and politics Akio listened raptly.  Rina knew her early Empire history.

These are the sorts of things that might make a man smitten.

"Well," he added deferentially, "similar magic was used on the scroll.  I'm not sure how we get further in the investigation without... well, we could make a bet and focus on who we think the heir might be and see if we can unlock the scroll, or we could search for other testimony."

"That is a good question." Rina replied. "It really depends on the answer 'Heir to what?' If it is an advanced school, or special title, or some such that's easy enough to integrate into the Empire. We can probably do that without anyone even noticing for quite some time. But, if it involves a Daimyoship of some sort ... well, that can get tricky at best."

"What good do you think determining the Heir will do without Testimony?"

"I don't know," Akio added (after a bit of a delay).

"Such negotiations are not my suit, Otomo-dono."  'Politics' being the unmentioned word.  "It's my duty to find the truth.  The law, I have to believe, will tell us how to proceed once the truth is evident."

Otomo Rina nodded and looked at the other two Otomo.

"Very well. Just keep whatever you find to yourselves until I have had a chance to consider whatever information you might find."

Eyes casting a glance at the other Otomo before answering Rina, "I'll take it as both my duty and as a gift, Otomo-dono.  I didn't come prepared to honor your appointment as Daimyo, so I hope you'll accept this knowledge as a gift from the Kitsu."  Knowledge was the most valuable thing the Kitsu had, but for Akio it was something else entirely - he found himself wanting to impress the youthful Otomo.

"We should go.  Best to figure out where we need to start."