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

[Rain Yupa]

@ Jiujutsu Duel:

Zanzen would deliver a series of blows that Sosuke was too exhausted to defend against; through strength of will, he managed to weather the attacks! (Void point, reduce damage to 2; 16 total, Sosuke is still Grazed!}

Sosuke would continue laying into the Crane, delivering a series of body blows in an attempt to tear him down. {Full Attack, 4/5 raises used for accuracy, 1/5 for damage; Void focused for damage; 13+20 vs TN 26+3; 6+3 = 9 damage, for a total of 16; Zanzen is Hurt!}

Zanzen, initiative and 3 free raises!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@Jiujutsu Duel:

He grunted, shifting back to take care of his aching body. Dashing with his left foot first, he came at the side again, raising his arm as if to strike, only to spin the other direction to attack with his left hand towards Sosuke's front.

3k3, calling all on TN  

[Raganui Minamoto]

2k1

9  

[Plainsfox]

@ Scorpion Shenanigans

"If only this were a secret!" Kojiro scoffed. "To get to the point, when one is going after a powerful threat, one needs powerful allies. The easiest way to gain them, is to help make them." The Scorpion settled on his haunches as he watched the Crab repair her tent.

"As far as information goes, his name was Bayushi Masamune. While he was alive, he was known as the Black Cloud and served Lord Shoju's father. He was reported dead shortly before Lord Shoju became Champion of the Scorpions. Roughly ten years later, Masamune attempted to assassinate Lord Shoju. It was only due to the timely interference of Lord Junzo that Lord Shoju survived.

Kojiro took a deep breath as he considered his more modern information. "He has lurked in the shadows since then, fomenting peasant rebellions and tempting the weak with promises of the Dark One's glory. Always, if he has the time, he will carve 'Black Cloud' onto a victim's corpse. I have heard that he sneaks through Crab lands and then Scorpion to perform his mischief."  

[Agent Sinistra]

@ Lore competition

While her attempt to distract herself from paying attention to the terrible Maru had worked, it appeared to have backfired on her. She hadn't foreseen that Wazuka might call back on her, which left her either to try her best to remember what little she'd been taught about the drug, or to find some way to connect her ancestors (without dishonoring them, of course) to it and bluff her way out of explaining the symptoms...

Kyumi tried to string together what she remember into something she could use, but it just wouldn't take. Just as she thought she'd put something together, her mind would blank.

Realizing that she was starting to take far too long to reply, she would bow to the magistrate and apologize before quickly excusing herself. She'd leave the chamber and look around to see if Toyoko actually had waited around for her or not.

(( Welp, here's to tempting the dice kami! And it's not even close!
Rolling Medicine and spending a void point, 5k2 + 1k1 = 16 vs TN 25; First 5 are Medicine, remaining is the void; ))  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Jiujutsu Duel:

Isawa Sosuke would be the recipient of more body shots from Kakita Zanzen. But he shut off the pain receptors in his brain crying for him to stop, allowing him to press on anyways. {Second Void spent to reduce damage, Sosuke remains at 16 and Grazed!}

Not confident he would be able to hit Zanzen if his injuries carried him further, he would attempt to end this now, going Full Attack, and even focusing his Void into accuracy. If he didn't end it now, he wouldn't end it at all. {17+10+3 vs TN 26+5, hit; missed by 1!} He tried a blow to Zanzen's core, but he was able to block it in time!

Zanzen, you have initiative and 3 free raises!  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Shenanigans:

Kaori would rest her hands on her lap, giving the sewing a brief break. "So you know he's either in Crab or Scorpion lands. That's still one quarter of the Empire he could be hiding in. I don't know how well traveled you are, but that's a lot of territory to search." As Kojiro is beginning to observe, Kaori is probably not an optimist. But its so rare for a Crab to be one.

"Upon completion of this tournament, I will speak to my daimyo about the matter, to see if I can get leave to aid you. It is the least I can do for you bringing me the supplies I needed. But if either you or I win, it might render the whole point moot. We'll have to see."

Kaori would pause, and look upon Kojiro, waiting to see if he had anything more to say.  

[Plainsfox]

@Scorpion Shenanigans

"Thank you for your time, Kaori-san. If you need aid in anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

Kojiro would bow politely to the Crab shugenja. "Good luck, Kaori-san."

And with that, Kojiro exited the tent and headed out to see what he could do about his next objective!  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@ Jiujutsu Duel:

Deflecting blow after blow barely, he waited. There was the opening. Twisting past a punch, he'd raise his elbow to try to smash it into the Phoenix's face.

3k3, all accuracy  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Jiujutsu Duel:

Isawa Sosuke would evade the clumsy elbow to the face, once more trying to overwhelm the evasive Zanzen with another full attack! {Everything to accuracy, 9+10+3 vs TN 26+5, miss!}

Isawa Sosuke was getting equally exhausted, his attempt at a hook going so wide it wasn't funny.

Zanzen, you have initiative and 3 free raises!  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

"The Akodo family, regarded as one of the best, if not the best, tacticians in the Empire. They are descended from Akodo himself, and each Akodo can trace his ancestry back to Akodo One-Eye himself. It is said that no Akodo-trained General or Warlord has lost a battle. Akodo have strong familial bonds, and their strength comes from cooperating with one another."

[[4k3 Lore (Lion Clan)]]  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Lore Competition:

Kitsu Kyumi found herself ill-prepared for the attempted aid from Kitsuki Wazuka, at least not without two more bodies to help her stall for time. She was forced to resign, and would remove herself from the Lore chamber. There would be a slight frown from the monk Kan as she left. Soshi Maru's eyes followed her movements until she was completely out of sight.

All Lore: Lion Clan skills are now TN 15!

Kan would be the next one up, after Matsu Seichiro finished speaking. "Many of the Minor Clans were started when a particular member of a Great Clan accomplished some deed that won him or her admiration in the eyes of the Emperor. The Badger and Mantis Clans can trace their roots to the Crab. The former Centipede were once part of the Phoenix; while the Wasp was born of an unwelcome union between Lion and Scorpion. The Dragonfly Clan shares both Dragon and Phoenix heritage, though the Tortoise stems from the Dragon alone. The Fox hail from the Ki-Rin originally, and the Ox from the Unicorn in recent years. The Sparrow were founded by a wayward Crane courtier, which leaves two clans; the Hare trace their roots back to ancestral ronin, while the Toku family of the Monkey Clan were formally peasants granted samurai status by Toturi himself." {Lore: Heraldry of 24 vs TN 20}

All Lore: Heraldry skills are now TN 20!

Soshi Maru would stand up as her turn came around. "I'm sorry, Kita-sama, but I'm feeling somewhat under the weather. I'm afraid I must resign from this competition." There was a concerned look from the magistrate, but she really had no choice and nodded, dismissing the Scorpion woman. {Void Point spent, Theology roll of 18 vs TN 20}



Kaiu Kagae, you're up!  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Post Lore Competition:

As Kitsu Kyumi would make her way outside, she would not find Toyoko waiting there. But instead, someone else.

"Good evening... Kyumi-san..." Asahina Kenichi would greet her. He would have trouble holding his gaze, as if he had something to say, but didn't know how to say it.  

[Mongooseh]

<7k4+3 Engineering: Siege = 9, 8, 7, 4 + 3 = 31 vs tn 20>

Kagae once again would delve into his siege knowledge of an almost sage-like level.

"I seem to have overlooked the fact that one could simply bombard the enemies walls till a breach is made and have troops storm through. Combined with an earlier tactic I mentioned, the one where you target corners, this would be the easiest and quickest method to use in siege warfare."  

[Plainsfox]

After the Poetry Competition

Having accomplished one small goal for the day, Kojiro thought it was time to further another plan along. Hopefully it would provide the desired results. The Scorpion bushi went back to the banquet that Seppun Benjiro set out for the winner of the Poetry Contest. Hopefully, he would be able to backtrack Jiro if it were.