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

[Plainsfox]

Exploding Die.
I do realize I should roll these with my other dice, but that tends to give me a headache. ><  

[Plainsfox]

And Again.
Go Bayushi Archery Training!  

[Plainsfox]

After sending the second arrow a hair's length away from the first, the bushi aimed towards the twenty point bracket and let loose with his final shot.

TN: 20-5 (Mastery)=15
Result: 30
Score: 100  

[Plainsfox]

Exploding die.

Why can't I have gotten these rolls when I was shooting at the Bull's eye?  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kyujutsu Competition:

Matsu Seichiro would lead off the fourth round, but his lack of depth perception would finally catch up to him. Unable to focus on the target, he found himself incapable at hitting it at this distance. It was by the Fortune's grace that he had made it this far, however, so he took pride in that fact, despite his handicap.

Yoritomo Hisashi would be up next, satisfied that he was taking at least second place in this competition. Though he came across the same problem as Seichiro, only able to barely peg the outside ring of the target, by intervention of luck. He would graciously end his turn, leaving only one competitor left.

Bayushi Kojiro would be the only one left, and had already completed the competition. Despite having victory in hand, he would oblige everyone with a show of his own skills... actually scoring enough to pass this round as well! Showing that victory was not a matter of luck but skill as well, Kojiro was truly the victor this day.

"Well done, one and all! You all have performed admirably, but without a doubt, the most skilled archer of the lot has made himself known. Bayushi Kojiro, who has scored a remarkable 580 points, with the highest individual score of 240 in a round, and having passed the most rounds. Yoritomo Hisashi is the runner up, having tied with Matsu Seichiro, but managed to get the most points in the final round out of the two. Let's here it for the two of them, everybody!" The bright and cheery Doji Kita would begin to clap proudly, and would be eventually joined by Isawa Sosuke, Asahina Kenichi, and Mirumoto Sozen.

Horiuchi Sayoko had already left, and somehow, Shosuro Naizen had also found an opportunity to vanish. Funny, that.



The following characters would receive the listed benefits for their efforts in competing in this part of the tournament:

Matsu Seichiro - 1 point of Glory for competing in the Kyujutsu Competition.
Yoritomo Hisashi - 1 point of Glory for competing in the Kyujutsu Competition.
Bayushi Kojiro - 1 point of Glory for competing in the Kyujutsu Competition. 1 additional point of Glory for winning the Kyujutsu Competition.
Kakita Zanzen - 1 point of Glory for competing in the Kyujutsu Competition.

Also: Since it is no mystery at this point, I can reward them now. Anyone who competed in this competition gains 1 experience point which, like the one from the previous day, can be spent in any fashion of your choosing, if you decide not to bank it. Your expenditure will take effect starting the following morning. Please inform the GM of any expenditures.  

[Agent Sinistra]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

Rain Yupa

Shosi Maru vs. Kitsu Kyumi

Assessment

"With that travesty out of the way, now we can finally move on," Kuni Raicho rebuked harshly. She would turn to the two waiting shugenja. "Soshi Maru, Kitsu Kyumi, you two are up. Make it a good one."

The scorpion woman would stand across from Kyumi, her black robes open just barely enough to show off her dangerously beautiful physique. Her eyes hidden by the black veil across her eyes, she would give Kyumi the quaintest little smirk. "So, little Lioness... are you ready for elimination? The only real threat to me is the Isawa girl, so if you wish to submit now, there will be no dishonor for you." She would rap her painted nails against her scroll case, assessing the girl up. {3 Raises, Spellcraft of 22 vs TN 20. Chooses to learn highest Ring, ranks in Spellcraft, ranks in Meditation, Void ring.}

Kyumi, how do you respond?

Assessment

Kyumi's posture would stiffen as she addressed her opponent. The friendliness that she possessed during the last duel had diminished since the scorpion shugenja had addressed her. "I won't be intimidated. I've been given the chance to continue- I won't throw it away the first chance I have just because you asked me to." Kyumi would reply, albeit her words weren't entirely supported by her actions.

Try as she might, Kyumi couldn't help but subtlely betray the fact that she was more than a little nervous about the situation. Her hands shook very slightly as she tightly held onto her scroll case and began her own assessment.

((5k3, raise 2, 18 vs TN 15; Kyumi wants to know Maru's Air Ring, Earth Ring, and Water Ring))  

[Plainsfox]

@The Taryu Jiai Duels

Kojiro would make his way over to Hida Hogai as the two shugenja focused and tried to bluff each other out. "I do not mean to interfere in crab affairs, Hogai-san...but it seems like Lady Kaori needs someone to lend her strength right now. I would go myself, but I have not made a favorable impression on her, I fear. Also, a married man going after an unmarried woman might not be seen in the best light." Kojiro turned his face away for a second to marshal his thoughts. "Remember the story of the rabbit that Lord Denbe told us. It may be up to you to teach one rabbit how to get to the good meadows."

OOC: Rolling Awareness/Courtier. Last two dice are in case of explosions.
Result: 20  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

With the tournament finished, he would walk to the Lion tent, where he would put the bow right next to his bed, and then decided to see how Kyumi was doing in the Taryu-Jiai duels. He stood some distance away, watching the match.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

Soshi Maru's Air Ring is 3, Water Ring is 3, and Earth Ring is 2.

Declaration

"Hmph. That lion pride of yours might get you in over your head one day, little girl. Here, allow me to give you a taste of such defeat now. My water is superior to yours in every way..." With a wicked grin, she would cast from her scroll, summoning a different warrior this time. It would be a scorpion bushi, donning light armor and a decorated helm. The water kami would merge and form into the attractive, masculine being in the process of practicing several strikes of a kata, showing that it was ready for battle.

{Earth-1 Water-3 Fire-2 Air-2 Void-1; TNtbH = 12, 1 wound/level.}

It's ready to fight Kyumi's avatar with a 10 initiative!  

[Agent Sinistra]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

Rain Yupa

Soshi Maru's Air Ring is 3, Water Ring is 3, and Earth Ring is 2.

Declaration

"Hmph. That lion pride of yours might get you in over your head one day, little girl. Here, allow me to give you a taste of such defeat now. My water is superior to yours in every way..." With a wicked grin, she would cast from her scroll, summoning a different warrior this time. It would be a scorpion bushi, donning light armor and a decorated helm. The water kami would merge and form into the attractive, masculine being in the process of practicing several strikes of a kata, showing that it was ready for battle.

{Earth-1 Water-3 Fire-2 Air-2 Void-1; TNtbH = 12, 1 wound/level.}

It's ready to fight Kyumi's avatar with a 10 initiative!

Declaration

"You can say whatever you like. Your words mean nothing unless they're backed up by your actions." She retorted.

If Kyumi hadn't been at least slightly irritated by Maru before, she was now. She began to summon the same avatar that she had used before, or at least one that looked identical to it. Kyumi clenched and unclenched her free hand as the avatar began to take shape.

(( Earth- 2, Water- 3, Fire- 1, Air- 2, Void- 1; 2 wounds/level;

First 2 are for inti., rest are in case of explosion. Initiative = 7.))  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

Fight!

The watery Bayushi would step forth, his blade skillfully cleaving through the Matsu's defenses and into the warrior herself! {29 vs TN 12, hit} However, the blow would be lacking in substance, dishing out only a wound that would leave it Hurt {8 damage}!

Kyumi, you're up! Your avatar attacks with 5k3+1 (-10), and wound with 3k1+3!  

[Agent Sinistra]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

Rain Yupa

Fight!

The watery Bayushi would step forth, his blade skillfully cleaving through the Matsu's defenses and into the warrior herself! {29 vs TN 12, hit} However, the blow would be lacking in substance, dishing out only a wound that would leave it Hurt {8 damage}!

Kyumi, you're up! Your avatar attacks with 5k3+1 (-10), and wound with 3k1+3!

The Matsu would take the brunt of the attack; the force would send ripples through its body and struggle to keep its form. However, it was not so injured that it couldn't quickly reform.

It would return with an attack of its own- it would attempt to slice through part of the Bayushi's form.

((5k3+1 (-10) = 23 vs TN 12; first 5 are for attack, rest are in case of explosion ))  

[Agent Sinistra]

((Rolling Damage-
3k1+3 = 12 ))  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Storytelling Competition:

It would be time for the final story. Kan would look upward towards the sky as if for inspiration, before turning and gazing at the entire group in turn. "Noble samurai, you've honored me greatly by allowing me to eat with you, and to listen to all the wonderful tales you've had to tell. My story will be of someone very important to me, a samurai himself. He served his family and Clan loyally as Rikugunshokan of the Second Imperial Legion. This man, my ancestor, was known as Ikoma Juzo."

Spending a Void on his roll, he raises 3 times for Critique purposes. {Storytelling (Oratory) roll of 29.}

"Ikoma Juzo was said to be a brilliant tactician and an inspiring leader in his day. He had been clever and decisive, earning many victories for the Akodo Armies against rivaling clans. Back before all the recent events, back before the Second Day of Thunder and the Clan Wars, the biggest threats were internal disputes, border wars, and honor-driven revenge from insults."

"However, this was not always the case. On rare occasions, threats can take many forms, from towering oni to destructive gaijin. In the case of this story, however, danger would rear its head in the form of a sizable bloodspeaker cult, that had corrupted an entire village, arming them and sending them directly towards Otosan Uchi. The proximity was too close to allow any of the Great Clans a chance to discover and intervene in force, for it was but a day's march to the capital when they were discovered."

"Ikoma Juzo was not an idle leader, and constantly traveled with his legion to do drills elsewhere, in a multitude of environments. On his return trip to Otosan Uchi, a scout had informed him of the militarized heimin, and how the Second Legion was the best suited to intercept the army before they reached the city. However, his own men had become exhausted from their practices and return trip, and were not immediately ready to fight. This left Juzo with two options: To allow his men to rest and prepare, and arrive on the tails of the army, possibly flanking it; or to attack first, preventing any of the attack from occurring at the city."

"Weighing his options, Juzo believed that his men were better armed, better armored, and better prepared than a large group of upstart peasants, and decided to press the attack immediately, with the full support of the legion. They had wasted no time and moved to engage the twisted army that the Bloodspeakers had created."

"There was one tactical error that Juzo had overlooked; the guile the Bloodspeakers were willing to bring to bear. The scout had not gone unnoticed, you see, and by the time the Legion had predictably marched to intercept, they had already hidden themselves, and the Legion marched right into an ambush."

"The battle was told to be bloody and violent. Attacking from hiding, unforgiving and unseen, the peasants' first wave had slaughtered many of the Legion before any of their number were dropped. They had been too exhausted, but despite that, they fought valiantly. The battle would still have been decisively won, if not for the presence of maho; that forsaken blood magic had broken the ranks of trained soldiers that had already been blinded by the chaos of it all. All the drills, all the experience, all of it was insignificant to the utter brutality of that guerrilla warfare."

"Ikoma Juzo's military record had been flawless up until that day, the day of his last battle. The day he was forced to call for his men to retreat. Never in the history books has an Imperial Legion broken like it had that day, so the disgrace of the command had immediately sunk in to the Ikoma's mind. In an effort to give his men enough time to regroup, he had taken his personal retinue and charged into the heart of the corrupted heimin army. It was reported that Ikoma Juzo's death came only after taking the head of the Bloodspeaker commander."

"In truth, Ikoma Juzo's army did manage to drive off the corrupted heimin army. They had lost too many of their number, and thanks to his sacrifice, their leadership. In disarray themselves, they barely made it to the outer walls of the city before they broke and fled without any further conflict. An Asako Inquisition led to the discovery of the hidden Bloodspeaker cell in the region and it was promptly eliminated, making the capital city safe once more. Ultimately, the Second Imperial Legion succeeded in their intended goal. However, Ikoma Juzo himself was noted as the cause of the greatest embarrassment in the legion's history, and his descendants have been forced to be burdened with his dishonor. As such, no member of his branch of the Ikoma Family has held a position of high military rank ever since."

Kan, seemingly finishing his story, would bow. "Juzo's descendants have learned the value of having a patient and wise mind, not simply a tactical one. Glory is a measure of worth, but not the only one. And, as long as we learn from past mistakes, they will not be repeated."

Perception/Storytelling (Oratory) vs TN 29 to critique! You must keep the lowest three dice rolled!  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Taryu-Jiai Duels:

If there is ever a nemurani invented that would freeze a moment in time and keep the image for eternity to be gawked at, Kyumi would wish for such an item at this time.

Maru's Bayushi would cut through the Matsu, leaving a large wake in the path of the blade through her midsection. However, the Matsu would seem undeterred by this, lifting its own blade with conviction. The Bayushi would look up, and

WHAM!

The force of the blow would cause the Bayushi to explode in a spray of water so fierce, it blew straight back and soaked Soshi Maru down to her bones.

"... WHAT?! How could you... this is... how DARE-

"And the winner for this round is Kitsu Kyumi." Kuni Raicho would suddenly interrupt, gesturing with one hand in Kyumi's direction.

Balling her fists up angrily, Maru would storm off, while Toyoko would bound up to Kyumi, squeeing happily. "You won, Kyumi-chan! I'm so happy! That was amazing!"

Ide Jiro was there surprisingly quick with a towel, hurrying over to Maru's side. Where did he come from, and how did he get that so fast?