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

[Plainsfox]

OOC:

Tea Ceremony Roll
Spending one void point to make it a trained roll
One additional die added to handle explosions
Results: 9  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

After heating some of the tea up for Soshi Maru and presenting it to her royal grumpiness, she would take time to drink the tea. It would be a miraculous thing, seeing her posture change, not to mention her very mood. It was as if the hot tea would melt away the daze she was under.

"... I thank you for the tea, Kojiro-san, but perhaps your choice to enter the Athletics competition was the wiser one," she would confess to him {Etiquette 15}, placing the cup down gently and gracefully. "I do apologize, I am often not myself when bad weather hits. To answer your prior questions, I will be joining the Shogi competition with Naizen-san. Yes, I will help you craft a message. And no, do not speak to Kenichi on my behalf."

Holding her tea cup at her table with both hands, she would look(?) down into it. "I've been doing some thinking, and there is something I might need to do."  

[Plainsfox]

@ The Scorpion Tent

"As you wish, Maru-san. You need not ask for my aid, if it is needed, I will give it." Kojiro idly examined the tea that Naizen gave him and recalled his talks with Hisashi and the other Mantis' behavior during the tournament. "Naizen-san, if you are willing to do me a small favor, could you see to it that the bottle of sake in my traveling sack finds it's way next to Susumu-san at the athletics tournament? You need not gift it to him. Just place it by him. He'll take care of the rest."

OOC:
Awareness/Etiquette roll (just seems strange not to make one.
Last two are to handle explosions
Results: 20  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

((Yes, Etiquette wouldn't be a bad idea.))

As Kojiro looked at the Tea Packets, though he would be unsure what they are exactly, they would actually be the same colors as those of the Unicorn Clan.

Kojiro would offer up his suggestion to Naizen, who would nod silently. Putting down his book, not having gotten far, Kojiro would see that it was actually the rules for Shogi. But at the rate he was viewing it, either he was a speed reader, or simply brushing up on the rules themselves. Possibly both.

Maru spoke up as Naizen got up and moved towards Kojiro's things. "No, I was just... thinking about last night. I believe I will need to have words with Kyumi-san. Perhaps after the games are over for the day. Do you happen to know what she signed up for today?"

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@ Crab Tent:

Kuni Raicho's gaze would stare through Jiro, her teeth clenching. "Explain yourself. You have seconds."

"I had a spare tent, and a need for room. Not exactly feeling safe in Sayoko-san's, I saw the Crab weren't using their tent. I ruthlessly took over their small plot of territory like the ruthless land-baron that I am, and as a sign of good will, invited the now-homeless Crab to stay with me, so I could bask in their misfortune." Grinning, he would pause, smile, and throw out there, "Real estate is a very lucrative business, Raicho-sama, in case you were in the market of making a few extra koku of your own one day."

{Jiro's Awareness/Etiquette (Sincerity) + Void Point = 34-10 (Meddler) + Free Raise (Voice) spent to not pee himself stand his ground = 24 + Raise.}
{Kuni Raicho's Awareness/Etiquette (Conversation) roll = 12}

Jiro succeeds in diverting blame to himself!

Though that ends about as well as Kagae suspects, as she reaches up surprisingly quickly, grabbing ahold of Jiro's hair, and throwing him face-down into the ground {12 damage}. She then proceeds to haul back and kick him so hard in the ribs, everyone in the tent clearly heard at least one of them break as he is sent sprawling across the floor of the tent {15 damage, Jiro is down!}

"Your games don't work on me, Unicorn. Don't you DARE ******** with me. Don't you dare!" She gives everyone a deathglare {Intimidation of 32 with 2 Raises for extra scary, in case anyone wants to resist}, before she storms out, throwing open the tent flaps in a rage.

And then, there would be silence.  

[Plainsfox]

@Scorpion Tent

"You should meet her in the Shogi tournament." The samurai puzzled his clanmate's mood for a second. "I take it you would not like someone to send a recommendation on Asahina Kenichi to those who would be interested in marrying a bachelor Crane, especially those who are ahhmm....Bayushi Teruyo?" Kojiro suppressed an inner laugh at the thought of the extremely masculine Scorpion besides Kenichi, dwarfing the Asahina. Too bad it was not to be. It would be the perfect balance. Poor Teruo-kun. She really missed out here. Ah well, Cranes like Kenichi were a dime a dozen and Teruo-kun would get her chance at one sooner or later.

"Well, if I'm not needed at the moment, I think I shall take a walk and try to clear my head." Kojiro would take his Kusarigama and placed it across from his daisho in his obi and then left the tent, bowing to his two clanmates as he did so. After a short while, he would find a nice tree covered area to relax in, out of the rain. The samurai sat down and folded his legs and started to go through mental drills designed to empty his mind.

He would only leave the area until just enough time to get to Raicho's competiton.

OOC:
Void/Meditation to regain void 3k2 Two spare dice to handle explosions
Results: 15  

[Mongooseh]

"Should of been more honest with her Jiro-san" said Kagae softly as he picked up the unicorn dusted him down and placed him upon a cot.

"Now that we've... Upset the best medic in the vicinity who will should we look for to heal Jiro-san here?" Asked Kagae as he placed his wakizashi back down and went back to focusing on his tea, "I don't suppose you have any healing scrolls left Kaori-san?"
 

[Rain Yupa]

@ Crab Tent:

"I do," she would respond to Kagae's question, and she knelt down in front of Ide Jiro. "There better not be any shugenja competitions today," she scolded the reckless courtier, as she readied a scroll.

"You can thank Bayushi Kojiro-san for this," she would say aloud, before casting Path to Inner Peace, twice. The damage Raicho did would be mostly mended, but it would be enough to ensure Jiro wouldn't be left out of the day's events.

"Why would you do that? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Jiro would chuckle lightly, sorely, as the magic was being cast upon him. "Just... trying to... fit in with... the Crab..." Looking to Kagae, wincing, he would respond, "I was nothing... but candid... with the magistrate. I don't know... nnng... what conversation... you were listening to... heh."

"It took guts, though," Hogai would admit, nodding. "You gonna need a hand getting to sign-up, Jiro-san?"

Kaori's eyes would go wide. "Oh, damn! Have I overslept again?! I have to-" As she finished the last casting, she suddenly stood up, ready to run out the tent.

"It's not that late, Kaori-san. Almost, but not quite," Hogai would reassure her.

"I wouldn't mind a hand up, no. Getting pummeled isn't normally part of the courtier training regime." Jiro would hold a hand to his rib, holding his left hand out to Hogai. Realizing it was the wrong hand to offer, he quickly began to withdraw it, though the Hida would grab the man's wrist and hoist him up to his feet anyways.

Hogai would turn to Kagae. "What's the events for the day, Kagae-san?"  

[Mongooseh]

"There's an Athletics competition, a Tea ceremony competition and a Shogi competition which I am attending" replied Kagae pouring himself a cup of tea and taking a sip.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Crab Tent:

"Well... I've definitely proven that feats of endurance aren't my cup of tea. No pun intended," he said, reaching for a cup of tea of his own. "I think I would be better suited with the Shogi competition, myself. Unicorn tea ceremonies aren't very... ceremonial at times."

"Actually, I'll be joining Shogi myself. The last thing I want is to get caught having to climb something," he said, waving his left arm rather blatantly. And he would laugh, once.

"I... think I'm permitted to participate in Raicho's events now..." Kaori would say thoughtfully. "I'll be signing up with the rest of the Athletes. Sorry, boys." She chuckled once lightly to herself, as she went to go apply her facepaint before heading out.

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@ Scorpion Shenanigans:

After Kojiro finished his prayers with his ancestors and opened his eyes with Naizen. "Your competition will begin soon, and I didn't want you to miss it." He seemed unsure about something, but just came right out and said it. "I carried out your wishes. I... left it with the rest of the bottles..."  

[Plainsfox]

@ Scorpion Shenanigans

The Bayushi would bow deeply to Naizen and sigh. "Thank you on both counts, Naizen-san. I guess it was too much to expect a drop of water to impact a river." Kojiro walked back to the camp in silence, mentally composing the tasks he had to complete today.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Athletics Competition:

The rain would begin to dribble off, and by the time noon came around, it had stopped. The skies were still cloudy, but they were beginning to clear up. However, everything was a muddy mess, and Kuni Raicho was calmly standing in the middle of it.

"If any of you were expecting the athletics competition to be more forgiving than any of the physical duels..." She would say, arms crossed, "You were sorely mistaken. The recent bout of rain we had overnight was most fortunate... for me. You see, any ol' samurai can run around. But when the very elements have turned against you, that's how we discover who amongst you are true athletes and who are not."

She would begin to walk parallel of the group, though not taking her eyes off of them. "This time, it won't be a series of polite one-on-one matches. You will be competing against all those samurai standing beside you, at all times. There will be multiple tests for you to endure; each time, one of your opponents will be eliminated from the competition. I have eight planned for the nine of you, so we will see who can endure the longest."

She would gesture towards a box, held by her personal servant. "All of you will draw lots, and the one with the highest number will choose the first competition. From there, the winner of each one will choose the next one, and so on until only one remains. When the highest number is decided, I will speak with them in private, and no one will know what to expect next. It'll be more exciting that way, I promise."

As she began to walk away, something occurred to the magistrate. "Oh, one last thing. There's a good chance this will overlap into the last competition; however, Kita-san and Benjiro-san will be having theirs behind closed doors, so you needn't worry about making it time to see any of them. But if you feel the need to forfeit at any time, feel free. I may hold it against you, but your fellow samurai will not."



THE MECHANICAL RULES:

• Footrace (100m). There will be a series of 4 rolls (done as a group, one at a time). The rolls will be contested Agility/Athletics (Running) vs TN 15, since Raicho is making you run through the muddy parts. Each rank of Fleet lets you roll +1k0. If your Water is 3, roll +1k1. If your Water is 4, roll +2k2, etc. Successfully raising puts you one 'level' ahead of the group per raise, while failing to meet the TN makes you fall one 'level' behind. The winner/loser will be determined by comparing the totals of the highest/lowest level, respectively. Winner: N/A
  
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There are no set rules yet, until the various competitions get revealed. Keep an eye on this thread (page 82) to see how things are done!

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Mirumoto Sozen wins the drawing of lots, and confers secretly with Kuni Raicho. Soon, she returns. "The first competition will be a sprinting competition. This will measure your raw speed in the 100 meter dash. It will begin in 5 minutes, so don't forget to stretch."  

[Plainsfox]

@ Athletics Competition

Kojiro exhaled as he heard Raicho's lecture. He had hoped that this event would be over quickly so that he could attend to other matters, but it looks like he would have to do what he could. Kojiro could exit this tournament earlier, but the bushi figured he needed all the points he could if he wished to become a Jade Magistrate. Luckily, one of the Dragons was in attendance. Kojiro could atleast attend to that task. The Scorpion moved over during the stretches.

"Good morning, Mirumoto-san. How has this tournament treated you thus far?"  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Ceremonial Competition:

Doji Kita would smile as the last of you filed in to the same greeting chamber used in the Courtier Debates. "Good afternoon! Contrary to the tendency for the Social Competition to host dinner, we just have tea today. However, we've imported the best teas from across Rokugan for use in this very competition! But I know what you must be thinking:"

Clearing her throat, Kita attempted her best at mimicing a gruff, masculine voice. "How can Tea be considered competitive, Kita?" She turned to the side, spreading her arms wide to her sides as if she was really asking an invisible second Kita that very question.

"I'm glad you asked!" she said, smiling broadly. "This competition will probably be the most unique one in the whole tournament. We aren't measuring your ability to know tea, or prepare tea, or drink tea. We will be measuring your ability to interact with your fellow samurai in the most revered, wide-spread, practiced tradition in our Empire's illustrious history. However..." She would pause for dramatic tension, before continuing.

"You will be doing so, privately, unobserved, and unjudged. At least, by me. Once you are each brought to your chambers in pairs, the servants will bring you the necessary materials to perform the ceremony undisturbed. There, you will engage in the tea ceremony for a period equal to half an hour ((60 minutes our time)). After which, the ceremony will end, and you will move on to your next partner."

Kita would roll out a parchment, with each of your names on it. "When you are done all 5 ceremonies, you will meet with me privately. Then, you will discuss which of your other five samurai you had the best interactions with, and which you had the worst. Whomever of you had the best reviews wins this competition, so make sure to leave good impressions! It's very important!"

With that, Kita would announce the initial pairs for this competition.



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THE MECHANICAL RULES:

You're locked in a room with a fellow samurai for 60 minutes! A series of skill checks will be made, culminating with a Void/Tea Ceremony roll. Ultimately, its this final roll which is important.

A series of 3 contested skill checks will be made during the 'duel', which must be done with Social Skills. The winner of each gains a Free Raise for their Tea Ceremony roll. The 4th and final contested skill check will be the Void/Tea Ceremony Roll, boosted by earned Free Raises.

You may use one of your Free Raises to regain 1 Void Point instead of your +5 bonus, but you AND your opponent still must exceed TN 20 on both of your rolls.

The samurai with the higher Tea Ceremony result may only receive a neutral or positive review. The samurai with the lower Tea Ceremony result may only receive a neutral or negative review. Samurai with the highest net review after all 5 ceremonies wins!  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Shogi Competition:

Seppun Benjiro would cackle at the crowd he gathered today. That's right. He cackled.

"And Raicho-san said that Go was going to be the biggest draw for games," he mused to himself, smug in his victory. Truth be told, the group was nearly twice as big as Raicho's Go competition!

"Welcome, Shogi Players! As you noticed outside, the skies are finally clearing, but the Athletics and Tea Ceremony competitions have not finished yet. As much fun as it is watching bushi romp around in the mud like children, though, its time to get serious. Lore, you can learn by sitting in a library. Magic, you can manipulate a few times a day. But battle... commanding an army can give you the power to alter the history of Rokugan, for good or for ill! And Shogi will show me exactly what kind of stuff you future military commanders will be made of!"

Benjiro would gesture towards the tables set up, complete with Shogi boards and pieces, ready to play.

"In battle, victory for one and defeat for another is inevitable. So is the loss of life. It's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. One we need to face. I know its hard to fully take stock in the value of life of your mere game tokens; but tonight, I am not only measuring your capacity for victory, but to what ends you will be going to achieve it!"

Benjiro would approach the center of the room, where a large preliminary bracket was drawn up upon a large parchment. "We won't have time for everyone to play each other, so we are enforcing a double elimination style here. As long as you are victorious, you stay on the upper half of the bracket. If you lose once, you move to the lower half. You lose again, then your army is crushed and you march home in defeat!"

He would clap his hands together twice, smiling happily. "We will draw lots to see who will face who. Due to the odd number of contestants, two of you will be playing one more match than the rest of us. Good luck, and may the Fortunes guide you!"



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The Mechanical Rules:

The rules for Shogi can be found here.

Opposing players will make contested skill checks. They may use either Awareness/Games: Shogi, or Perception/Battle (both players can use different skills). The TN is 5.

Upon making your roll, you may call raises to bank as Free Raises for later. For example, if you make 2 Raises, the TN is 15; if you succeed on the roll, you gain 2 Free Raises for the rest of the match until they are used. Untrained skill users are limited to 1 Raise/roll.

If you, for any reason, fail in a roll, your opponent gains a Free Raise and play continues.

You can use a Free Raise for +5 as normal. You may use a Raise/Use a Free Raise to increase your opponent's TN by 5 (limit 1/round). You may Raise/Use a Free Raise to decrease your own TN by 5 (limit 1/round) to a minimum of 5..

You may Raise/Use Free Raises to put your opponent in Check; 6 raises are required, and if you make the roll, your opponent must make a roll of TN+10. If they fail this roll, you retain any Free Raises used. If you Check again, they must make a roll of TN+20; failure results in your victory. If the player succeeds either of these rolls, the TN penalty goes away, and any Free Raises used are lost.

You may Raise/Use Free Raises to put your opponent in Checkmate; 10 raises are required. If you succeed on this roll, you win the match.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Athletics Pre-Competition:

Sozen would look over at Kojiro, and chuckle. "If you've come to try to earn my favor so I'll pick the events that benefit you, Kojiro-san, you'll have no such luck. Reminding me of my lack of success up until now definitely isn't helping, either." Though it could easily be interpreted as hostile words, Sozen said this completely straight-faced, almost indifferently so.