Jade Legacy [L5R 3eR] - Act 1: Atsumari/Gathering

[Mongooseh]

"A compelling tale of perception and wits... Thoroughly enjoyable but seemed lacking explanation in some parts." Stated Kagae as he gave his critique slightly saddened that his dinner was diminishing and he'd actually have to start devoting attention to the stories.

(14 critique)  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Storytelling Competition:

Susumu would practically throw down his chopsticks after the story was done. "THAT'S NOT FAIR! A Yoritomo wouldn't be duped like that! We may be many things, but we ain't fools! I call shenanigans." {Critique of 26 vs TN 18. The first competent roll from Susumu yet, and all it took was to badmouth his family!}



@ Denbe's Intelligence check: You rolled to beat the TN, but you didn't have either skill, so the most you can get out of the roll is that you have heard his name before, as a rather famed magistrate several decades earlier.



"Benjiro-sama, I must admit, this food is amazing!" Hogai said to the host, before realizing it was his turn. "What? Oh, ah, it was just as good as this food." {Critique of 4 vs TN 18}

"How could I possibly hate such a skilled story told by an inspiring and blossoming young samurai-ko?" Jiro would admit when it was his turn to speak. {Critique of 9 vs TN 18}

"Watch it, buddy..." Wazuka would suddenly snap at him, and he would put his hands up casually in response.

"Hey, hey now, I meant no offense..."

Koan would actually smile for a change. "Your mentor must be a brilliant man, even in his youth. Tell him good work for me." What? Something positive from Koan? {Critique of 14 vs TN 18}

Sumi would wait patiently for her turn, before addressing Wazuka. "An excellent demonstration of intellect. Though a little too actiony for my tastes." {Critique of 17 vs TN 18}

Kan would wrap up, smiling politely at the young Wazuka. "You must be very proud of him," would be all he would say in response. {Critique of 17 vs TN 18}



With that, the storytelling competition would be over halfway done! Next up is the one I know everyone's been waiting for... Doji Koan's turn!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@Kyujutsu Break

"A fine deduction." He'd speak calmly as he approached the pair. "And correct. I did not see the need of a long range weapon, so I have only this one. As such, next round I will need to forfeit. I am a craftsman of the blade, not the bow."  

[Plainsfox]

"Good morning, Zanzen-san! Tell us then, since you no longer have a stake in the match, who do you favor to win?"  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kyujutsu Break:

Sosuke would smile and bow. "Spoken like a true warrior of the blade. I can relate; I have training with the bow, but I feel more comfortable with my nagamaki or katana in hand."  

[Plainsfox]

Kojiro would shrug. "We are samurai. It is our duty to use whatever weapons our lord wishes of us. Fortunately, most seem willing to let us experiment."  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"A favored to win... hmm..." He takes a thoughtful stance, looking over the remaining competition.

"All have a decent chance, though I doubt the Matsu will make it much further. His sight will be his downfall, unless the Fortunes favor him. I would have to say that it may come down to three. You both and Asahina Kenichi of my own Crane. Hisashi and Sayoko are both seeming to struggle with even the closer ranges."  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Storytelling Competition:

"I suppose that means that it is my turn," Doji Koan would say, standing up to acknowledge his readiness to speak. He exuded an aura of confidence, and he was so sure of his abilities, that he had no doubts of losing. {Raises twice, dumping free raise into increasing difficulty to critique. Storytelling (Oratory) roll of 40, and the lowest 3 dice are kept on all critique rolls}

"My story shall be a retelling of a very old one, but one that I have found has touched the hearts of many. For you see, the story itself dates back to the earliest times of the Empire, when it was still a fledgling thing. Before the whole mess at Oblivion's Gate, before the Clan War and the Second Day of Thunder... in truth, before the First Day of Thunder. This is a tale of the early days after the fall of the Kami, and after Hantei took the throne. But this story is not just of him; it is of the fair maiden Doji Mioko, who's beauty rivaled Doji herself."

"Not long after being crowned emperor, Hantei began his search for a bride. He searched far and wide, from the lands of the Phoenix down to the lands of the Crab. He was introduced to many a fair maiden on his journeys, but none stirred his heart. Even in the land of the Crane, he did not find a single woman that would make his heart beat with the passion of a mortal man. At least, so he thought..."

"For you see, in the remote village of Ikieto, there was a simple fisherman, who lived with his only daughter, the maiden Mioko. There were not many women in the village, so many of the people there, Mioko included, did not have any basis of comparison to gauge the full extent of her beauty and majesty. And these traits were not simply skin deep. Her voice was so delicate and serene, that the fish swam to her whenever she sang. Her caress was so gentle and caring, that no animal feared her touch. Over the past millennium, no Crane has ever been given her name, out of respect for the perfection she embodied, as they wished not to tarnish it."

"Long before the samurai of the Crane arrived in search for a potential bride for Hantei, word of their search arrived first. Having lost his wife, the old fisherman would not stand to lose his only daughter as well. The fisherman concocted a plan, and hid his daughter away on a small island off the shore that only he knew about. His plan had worked, and by the time the samurai had come to search Ikieto, there was nothing but old crones and children left. And so, the samurai would leave empty handed."

"Emperor Hantei had all but given up on his dream of marriage, despite the happiness his brothers and sisters, his fellow Kami, were finding amongst the mortals. Every woman the Crane presented him did little to win his favor, and he was forced to dismiss them all. A year passed since then, with the search called off and Hantei remaining unwed. However, as fate would have it, Hantei's and Mioko's paths would yet intertwine."

"While traveling through Crane lands one day, he got separated from his entourage during a hunt for sport. Trying to find his way back, he instead stumbled across a path that lead to a beach instead. Realizing he had gone in the wrong direction, he caught wind of a soft but haunting melody through the mists. Taking note of the nearby village, he hurried back to his party and had them escort him there immediately."

"A young boy reported seeing a bunch of armored men on horses in the nearby wood, and the word quickly spread between the villagers. The fisherman, realizing that his daughter was in danger of being taken away again, immediately set out with the confused girl towards the island once more. Upon returning, however, the Emperor would be awaiting him, asking him about the girl with the hypnotic voice. When the fisherman denied any knowledge, Hantei's supernatural vision allowed him to pierce through the mists to see the island beyond, and ordered the fisherman to bring there at once, or surrender his life. Having no choice, he brought the Emperor to the island, but much to the Hantei's dismay, he found no one there. Saddened and confused, he too had no choice but to return and leave empty handed."

"What the Emperor didn't believe was that the fisherman had hidden his daughter away on a small cave on the far side of the island, so she was blocked from all view. But hearing her father's voice, she left the cave in time to see him leave with a strange man in the boat. Upon inquiring as to his identity later, the fisherman insisted that it was but a mere beggar, nothing more. Mioko did not believe him, however, for the strange man was too well dressed and carried himself too well to be a beggar. There was something about him that she just couldn't place, and the more she thought of him, the more infatuated she became. That night, she scrawled out a haiku expressing her feelings for this man, and attached it to the leg of her pet dove. She whispered to the dove, begging for it to fly to the man from the boat, and she would release it into the night to do this one task for her."

"The next day, Hantei returned to Ikieto on a hunch, this time without his entourage in hopes of seeing this mystery girl before she could vanish. On the way, he encountered an exhausted white dove, that had searched all night and in its weariness, had gotten itself caught in the branches of a bush. Freeing it, it flew off, leaving a parchment stuck to a branch, that Hantei picked up and read. He was so inspired by what was written that his heart skipped a beat. Truly, the woman who wrote this was the woman he had been looking for! She was real after all!"

"Riding with all due haste to the village, he began his search for the girl. The fisherman had her currently in his boat, and saw the Emperor from the day before searching the village. He hastily brought his daughter to the island then headed home in an effort to dissuade any further searching. Hearing that the fisherman indeed DID have a daughter, Hantei ordered him to present her at once. With his daughter hidden, the fisherman presented the very young daughter of a friend as his own. Hantei was not convinced nor amused, and ordered him to bring him to the island once more, for he could see through the fisherman's trickery. With his life on the line, he had no choice but to grant the wish and bring Hantei to the island."

"Showing the Hantei that there was nothing there, Mioko, who had been awaiting eagerly, ran out to meet the man... much to her father's chagrin. And believe me, it was love at first sight. Hantei knew the very moment he laid eyes on Mioko that she would become his wife; likewise, when Mioko's eyes met Hantei's, she knew he would become her husband. Hantei was so overjoyed that he instantly forgave the fisherman for lying to him, and rowed Mioko back to shore himself, leaving the fisherman to stew on the island alone. He whisked her away to the newly constructed Otosan Uchi, and within a week's time, they were wed."

Bowing to the group, Doji Koan would wrap up his story. "This was a retelling of Hantei's marriage to Doji Mioko. I hope it was to your likings. It is one of the oldest tales of romance in the Empire, and arguably, the most important in history." And with that, and the slightest smirk, Doji Koan would kneel back before his table and await the reception of his story.

Perception/Storytelling (Oratory) vs TN 40! You must keep the lowest three dice of your roll.  

[Psychofish]

[2k2 Perception/Storytelling:]

Not being a gambling man, Denbe wasn't sure what the term "exploding dice" meant, but dangerous as they sounded without them he found himself physically incapable of disliking Doji's story, even had he put his very greatest effort to dislike it forward. Which he didn't.

Because honestly, had Denbe disliked anyone's story so far?

"That was... a fine choice. And beautifully conveyed."

He wasn't teary eyed, but Denbe seemed touched. As much enthusiasm as he had shown for the action packed tales, perhaps romance was his secret passion?  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kyujutsu Competition:

The servants would scatter, and it would finally be time for the third round! 150' away, the base TN is 15!

Matsu Seichiro, start us off!  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Seichiro stood up, and walked to the shooting spot. He would sigh, bringing his bow up, and aiming down range. He would focus as best he could, before letting the arrow fly towards the target.

[[4k3, Raise twice, TN 35]]  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Missing horribly, he would again attempt to strike that elusive circle, seeing if he could hit it.

[[4k3, 2 raises]]  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

EXPLODAN DICE  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

That arrow flew straight into the ring, which eased Seichiro's worry. Either way, all he needed was to land an arrow in the 40-point circle, something he hoped he could do.

[[4k3, 1 Raise, spend Void to lower TN by 5]]  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

EXPLODAN DIE