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

[Psychofish]

[4k2 Perception/Investigate(Notice):42 vs TN 10+5 to identify (raise to discern bearing and or expression).]  

[Psychofish]

[Exploding dice (DENBE SEES ALL): 22]  

[Psychofish]

((I'm rolling 2 incase Denbe explodes this AGAIN.))  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Lion Tent:

Kan would look plainly at Seichiro, as if unsure if he should be surprised that the question was asked or not. "I traded for them in Mura Shabishii Toshi on the way here. I had a bit of a sweet tooth as my time before I joined a monastery, and it was really an impulse decision." He would glance at the tent entrance, then back to Seichiro. "Do you know when Kyumi-san will be arriving?"

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@ Scorpion Tent:

Soshi Maru would fight back a sneer, then turned her head. "If you are trying to badger or blackmail me into humoring you with games simply to share information with me, then you need to learn to direct your energies elsewhere. We are all comrades here, and you really should act the part, Kojiro-san." She would pause, glancing down at her own cot.

"If you don't have anything of import to tell me, then I believe it can wait until the morning."

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@ Hare Hijinks:

Ujina Denbe had a trained eye for investigation apparently, and it would would be easy for him to recognize the person Toyoko meeting as Doji Koan. The two were chatting, and Denbe would make out the expressions of the two.

Koan seemed indifferent, or possibly only mildly interested in the meeting. Toyoko, however, was appearing (and I use the term losely) more 'schoolgirlish'. The way she was looking at Koan and seemed to be hanging on his every word when he did speak indicated a possible crush.

The two would then head off on their own. Not 'sneaking off', but more of a 'taking a stroll' kind of head off. They weren't heading back to the tents, so Denbe would have to follow them to see where they might go.  

[Psychofish]

Beyond this point, following them wouldn't have gone without notice unless he'd clung to the shadows- and the thought simply felt dirty to Denbe. If he'd had good reason to believe one of them a practitioner of Maho rites, he'd have bitten down on his pride and taken the risk, but as it was... it simply seemed that Toyoko was smitten, and Koan... was simply looking for something to do. They weren't really hiding their meeting either, much as they weren't making it obvious.

Bemused, Denbe called off the chase, and headed back to his tent to meditate, and rest.

Perhaps tomorrow he would stumble across some treachery against the empire in the tournament that could show the world the worth of the Hare. Tonight, however, he'd give the girl and her dreams some privacy. Unless one of them was mysteriously missing on the morrow, he felt safe taking it for what it appeared to be.  

[Plainsfox]

@The Scorpion Tent

The Bayushi bit back on several things he was about to say and decided to go with the condensed version. "The Isawa yojimbo has no interest in this tournament, the Asahina separates himself from his fellow Crane and Ide Jiro has intimated that Kan might be ...something more than what he is. I didn't have much contact with the Mantis who took second place."

Kojiro would stretch upwards and sit upright to replace his dice inside his traveling pack. "....and that is all I learned from the Kyujutsu contest. I'm sure I saw the same things you did at the Story telling competition. The crabs were crabs, the Kitsuki was a Kitsuki. The Crane was a Crane and there was something going on between Jiro and Kan. All of it obvious. Sorry. "  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

Maru's interest would pique. "Oh? Jiro gave that information to you willingly? He mentioned nothing of the sort to me. He seemed more interested in me than anything else..." Her mind seemed to race, as she considered.

"The monk is not what he seems, he said? What do you believe, Kojiro-san?"

She would stand and approach Kojiro, but after a moment, it became obvious that she was merely pacing.

"And that Isawa, Sosuke... I've proven my superiority over Toyoko. We need to learn about the Asako, but she looks too frail to really seem like much of an opponent. Dissent amongst the Crane ranks, as well... oh, Kojiro, you've done well today indeed!" Smiling, she would approach the Bayushi, sitting next to him, smiling up to him.

"We'll do it your way, then. Let's focus on Kan for now, then we can take care of the Kitsu later. Though keep your eyes open for any opportunity to cripple her chances of winning any more. I'd still like you to take the opportunity if it presents itself." She would pause, looking(?) at Kojiro in silence for a few moments. Then, unexpectedly, she would lean forward to-

"Maru-san. I have something you should... am I interrupting something?" Naizen would ask as he apparently entered the tent without being noticed.  

[Plainsfox]

@ The Scorpion Tent

The Bayushi laughed mentally. Maru-chan was indeed cursed...or he was, perhaps it was for the best. "We were discussing Ide Jiro and the monk Kan, Naizen-san. Ide Jiro seemingly shares the same misgivings as Maru-san and claims he has some evidence to back it up. However, I do not fully trust Jiro-san just yet. He could be angling to distract us for any number of reasons. We are the competition after all, and with a first and second place finish today, we are pulling out in front. What did you wish to report, Naizen-san?  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

Naizen would bow, before continuing. "Merely that two of our problems may be resolving themselves. I was investigating the Minor Clan delegate, when I noticed something of interest. It looks like Isawa Toyoko and Doji Koan might be becoming an item. With the dissent Koan has a tendency of creating in the ranks of the other samurai, it just might tear the Phoenix and Clan apart even further."

Soshi Maru would stand up and hurry over to Naizen, obviously delighted. "You're kidding me! That's... that's positively delicious!" She would bite her lip in excitement.

"About Ide Jiro..." Naizen would continue, looking at Kojiro this time. "I've observed him talking with several people at the tournament. This includes the Mirumoto, the Phoenix Yojimbo, and the Kakita. Whatever his motivations are, I fear he's here to cause trouble."  

[Plainsfox]

@The Scorpion Tent

Fickle Maru-chan. The Bushi would tap his fingers against his knee. "They need to be encouraged, of course. If Koan is as talented as he seems, then this will provide dividends in the future. As for Jiro-san...how will we punish him? He tried to manipulate the Scorpion clan and is trying to manipulate all clans in attendance here.

This time, it would be Kojiro that would pace. We could get close to him...all the better to place a Tanto in his back, of course....but no plan is coming to me. I think I need rest. Who knows what challenges the magistrates have for us tomorrow." Kojiro said as he glared at Naizen.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

Naizen would actually shake his head at Kojiro. "That's what I thought at first. But I don't believe that's Ide Jiro's goal. I think he's simply trying to earn trust, by paying with information. I haven't figured out yet why having so much trust is important to him yet."

Soshi Maru would dwell on this a moment, before responding. "Kojiro is right. We need to focus on tomorrow's events as well, not neglect them. We should be well rested for whatever is in store for us tomorrow."

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The events in the Lion Tent can be RP'd out at Sinistra's convenience. Otherwise, the next post will be opening up the events for Day 3!  

[Rain Yupa]

DAY 3

As the sun would 'rise', the morning would prove to be a cloudy one. The skies were overcast, but only barely so. The gray clouds above were thin enough to allow light through, giving an ambient unlit daytime tone everywhere; it was light enough to see, but not a single shadow was cast.

The various samurai would all rise, some later than others this time. Some were viewing the overcast nature of the day as a bad omen, whereas others couldn't be bothered with it.

In the Crab Tent, Hogai was just stirring awake when Kagae woke up. Kaori was still asleep like normal, but this time, she did not have all her scrolls and tomes strewn about.

In the Lion Tent, when Seichiro or Kyumi would wake up, Kan was gone, like the previous day.

In the Mantis tent, Susumu seemed more pumped than the previous morning. "I feel like this is gonna be my day!" he would boast, as he prepared for the upcoming events with gusto.

In the Scorpion Tent, Naizen would actually wake Kojiro up. He would signal him for quiet, as Maru was still sleeping, and apparently, dreaming quite vividly.

In the Crane tent, Koan (and no Toyoko) would have arrived later than Zanzen, but not suspiciously so. There would be no sign of Kenichi this night, either. Koan's personal attendants would have woken him already, and he would be in the process of beautification.

In the Minor Clan tent, Denbe would be alone, so very alone.

Over the course of the next few hours, eventually the three Magistrates would arrive, to announce the day's events.

"Good morning, one and all. Hopefully, the cloudy skies don't dampen the moods of any of you. Despite that, I think we have an exciting trio of events for all of you!" The always chipper Doji Kita would smile broadly, as this time, she would turn to Kuni Raicho first.

"Kuni Raicho will be holding the first competition today. This will be a different sort of martial battle, unlike the first day. We will be testing your abilities to handle yourselves in heated situations, with nothing but your wits, and your own bodies. The Physical competition for today will be a Jiujutsu tournament."

"And if anyone has any disputes about my ability to run this competition, feel free to sign up and we can discuss it at length." Kuni Raicho would add, glaring right at Matsu Seichiro if he was present. Seppun Benjiro would facepalm and shake his head in disappointment.

"Ah... yes. There's that too, I guess?" Doji Kita would comment, trying to laugh off the awkwardness of the moment. "Seppun Benjiro will be hosting the Social competition of today. His love for the spoken word knows no bounds, as he would like to see who can impress him the best with Poetry."

Finally, Kita would curtsy somewhat in a way of gesturing at herself. "I'll be hosting the Mental exercise tonight, at dusk. Those who have extensive knowledge of various categories, come visit me during the Lore competition. We'll see who knows the rarest, most exciting facts about our Empire!"

Clasping her hands together, she seemed to be bursting at the seems with pride and excitement. "Make this one a good one, folks! After today is over, we will be halfway down our tournament! Unarmed fighters, you begin in one hour!"

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Please sign up with whichever event you like, and give me a Raw Void Roll, everyone!

GM Note: XP Expenditures are closed as of this post!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@ Daidoji Training Grounds

Zanzen frowned as the things were announced. Juijitsu... he had never trained in unarmed combat. His school focused on quickly defeating the foe and keeping the blade sheathed, where it was harder to disarm. Even then, he normally had two other blades with which he could preform kenjutsu.

Poetry... he was no poet. And then there was the mental competition of facts. He wasn't a scholar either. Why couldn't they have made tonight the Go competition and the scholarly bit the first night?

Sighing, he would look for the last person in the world he ever thought he'd try to befriend. Matsu Seichiro. Worse came to worse, he could hopefully get some pointers from him... if the Matsu didn't just laugh his head off at the thought of a Kakita trying to fight hand to hand.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Seichiro woke up quite early, as usual, and would practice his kata for half an hour, a habit of his. Once he was done, he would walk to the gathering of samurai, where the next round of events would be mentioned.

"b***h", was all Seichiro let out under his breath, at Kuni Raicho's hardheadedness. As much as he'd love to join the Juijutsu and just win it to spite her, he knew nothing of unarmed combat. However... he DID knew a bit of Lore, especially Rokugani history. So, his mind was set. He walked towards Doji Kita, and would bow before her.

"Kita-sama. I am interested in joining the Lore competition."