For starters, roll me some dice. Last night, quite a few arrows were shot about, let's see how many you find! After all, you can't afford to cavalierly waste arrows on the Wall. You do get, for free, the three armor-piercers left in the quiver of the archer from last time.

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Meanwhile, your character sheet.

>>4609435
what's the roll?

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4609430
The dice must roll!
Assuming 1d10s

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>4609435

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1.21 MB PNG

And page 2

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>4609435
How many dice am I allowed to throw?

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4609430

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4609435
Dice! Gamble for honor!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4609450
HONOR!

>>4609446
>Mothers name is "Yes"
Hmm. I guess i'll just put it on the family tree lmao

>>4609442

Roll 1d10s.

>>4609452

No, let me just...fire up Behind the Name and...her name is Natsuko. That's a nice name.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4609451
WE ARE ON FIRE TONIGHT LADS! GLORY AND HONOR, HERE WE COME!

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4609435

Dice!

>>4609446

>big SINGLE on marital status.

Not if Sayaka has any say in the matter

>>4609444
>>4609445
>>4609448

15, not bad. Given that all of them hit their targets, I'm going to say that of the six you used, three are still usable. Plus you loot the three remaining Armor-Piercers, so all in all you didn't really lose much.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4609435
Feeding the addiction.

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4609435
So, how much dice do we roll now?

>>4609468

Er, five arrows you used, four of which were yours, and you retrieve two. My bad.

>>4609468
>rolled a 29
>doesn't meet the criteria

;_;

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On the tenth day of the Month of the Hare, in the chaotic period after the demise of the Thirty-Sixth Hantei Emperor, in the Twelfth Century, two samurai walked into Koumugi Village, leading behind them a black horse.

One was a young but upright man in dusty faded blue, worn beneath minimalist grey armor, bearing a Crab mon above the brim of his kabuto helmet. The other, a pretty girl with chin-length hair, clad in black silks and candy-red armor, her face concealed beneath a jingasa helmet with a black silk veil just long enough to drape over her pert nose.

The young man had a large, bar-shaped bruise on his chest, although it is purely cosmetic, and a bandage around his left forearm where he was grazed by an arrow, though it no longer hurt. The girl saw to it properly this morning.

Later, one of the peasants would marvel that such a fine katana was in the hands of such a plainly dressed youth, but the wielder matched his sword perfectly. Both were unbreakable, and both were here to do some carving.

[Continue]

>>4609462
Sayaka is for drinking with and slaughtering enemies of the empire with, how dare you.

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“If you listened to my mother, you would think the lands of your Clan were all rocks and mountainsides.” Kodo Sayaka notes.

“Much of them are.” You reply. You have seen more than your fair share of them, for sure. Where grass grows in the Shadowlands, it cannot always be trusted to be just grass. You once heard a story about a vast plain of hair, but that might be a myth or madness on the part of the storyteller talking.

“But this is rather nice.” She observes, looking around, “Look, flowers are blooming, birds fill the air with song, and everyone is hard at work with the spring planting.” She gestures with her chin. The road you walk on is barely worthy of the name, a simple raised path of dirt not dug out into a rice paddy. On either side of you, the paddies are thick with people carefully picking from the bundles of green tucked under one arm, bent over as they move in neat rows, putting each seedling in its place in the mud beneath the shallow water. Bit by bit, the shallow pools are filling up with green. It is backbreaking work, but every now and then you notice one of them pop their head up and glance around. One old man, spotting you, starts to point, his mouth open to shout an alarm...then spots your daisho, and hurriedly genuflects and resumes his work.

“We are close to Earthquake Fish Bay.” You note.

“Something to be happy about.” She suggests.

“Until bandits show up to terrorize your village.” You reply, your eyes fixed on the village ahead.

“Perhaps I am biased, but I think my homeland is the most beautiful place in the Empire. The shade of the cedar trees, the artfully hidden gardens, the limpid pools and inky streams, they are gorgeous.”

“Of course they are.” Your tone is like the fine sand used to dry ink on official paperwork. It's funny how everyone who seems to devote themselves to playing unimportant games ends up with the best land, while its defenders from the living iniquity beyond the Walls get rocks and scree.

“Arinaga-kun, you are positively dour this morning! Do your wounds still ache?” She glances at you from beneath her veil, “Did I do something wrong? Here, let me see.” She reaches for your forearm.

>[“It must be my wounds”]
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]
>[“Yes, you're being annoying. Stifle yourself.”]

>>4609549
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

>>4609549

>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

>>4609549
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

>>4609549
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]
The stench of duty neglected weighs in the air

>>4609549
>["No, but the state of these lands, with bandits running about, makes me ill at ease."]

>>4609549

>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

Memories have a nasty way of creeping up on you, like GAWBLINS. They don't come one at a time, but in a clump all at once.

>>4609549
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

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>>4609549
Also

>>4609549
>[“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.”]

It is quite beautiful though, isn't it?

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“No, I have a lot on my mind, being here.” You tell her, glancing out across the fields. “Even if these weren't my lands, the state of them...the fact that there are samurai present and failing to act, it's maddening on its own.” You pause, glancing back at her, “It is beautiful, though, is it not? So many fields.” You say awkwardly.

She bites her lip, and as you glance over you catch the ghost of a smile on her face. You think you can hear the most held-back, ladylike, snort of laughter. “They will surely produce a lot of rice this year.” She says confidently.

“Not enough. It never is, for the number of soldiers we need on duty, constantly, guarding the border.” You grumble.

“The Crab are not alone.” She says, softly. 'Neither are you', says her tone.

For a moment, silence reigns. Then she asks, “Given the present circumstances, a tourist may be unwelcome, especially one who invited herself. If I was to provide some plausible alternative, would you refrain from correcting me in front of others? I seek only to limit mutual embarrassment, and ensure you are not left to solve this problem alone.” Her tone sharpens mildly, “That would be unacceptable. You saved Ritsu, you took a strike from me and did not reciprocate when you had every right to, and then you saved me again. Do not ask me to forsake this duty to help you, or I will be struck mysteriously deaf.”

>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]
>[“I will in no way countenance dishonesty, of any sort.”]
>[“I have no intention of correcting you, say what you like, so long as it's plausible.”]

>>4609587
>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]

>>4609587

>[“I will in no way countenance dishonesty, of any sort.”]

"What you do not say, however..."

>>4609587
>>[“I have no intention of correcting you, say what you like, so long as it's plausible.”]

>>4609587

>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]

This to start to be a shit, followed up with

>[“I have no intention of correcting you, say what you like, so long as it's plausible.”]

>>4609587
>>[“I have no intention of correcting you, say what you like, so long as it's plausible.”]

>>4609587
>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]
I see where this is going......

FULL SPEED AHEAD

>>4609587
>[“I have no intention of correcting you, say what you like, so long as it's plausible.”]

>>4609587
>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]

>>4609587
>[Move your mouth as if talking, but don't actually say anything]
Oi, I almost missed that you decided to run today out of the blue Wong!

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You look at her and feign shock, then begin to speak angrily...without saying anything at all! You move your mouth, you gesticulate at her, you give an impassioned speech of no words.

She looks at you in consternation, unleashes a magnificent high-class huff, struggles for a reply, then crosses her arms smugly, “It seems the work of not hearing such ridiculous talk has been done for me. You are the best of boys once again, Arinaga-kun, but I will miss your speech if I never hear it again. Do not be so cruel.” She adds in a slightly more serious tone, “Besides, I do need a real answer.”

“I have no intention of correcting you. Say what you like, so long as it's plausible.” You inform her.

She smiles brilliantly, “Arinaga-kun, just for you, I won't even speak a word of untruth. It shall be the very soul of plausibility.”

>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]
>[Simply enjoy the nice mood, the nice scenery, the nice day, and the nice smile she's giving you all the way to the village]

>>4609617
>>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]

>>4609617
>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]
Good a time as any

>>4609617
>>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]
Not that I expect an honest answer but hey

>>4609617

>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]

Almost certainly not going to get a substantive answer, but might be able to deduce something from her misdirection.

>inb4 Who knows?~

>>4609617
>[Ask her if there is any reason why she's here beyond simply her stated goal of touring castles to stall her homeward voyage]

Spending a void point to avoid the Unskilled penalty on this Courtier/Awareness roll. Let's see what you got...

>>4609449
>>4609450
>>4609451
>>4609460

30.

>>4609617
>[Simply enjoy the nice mood, the nice scenery, the nice day, and the nice smile she's giving you all the way to the village]

Was what I was going to vote, but then >>4609626 happened. I'm ecstatic. :*D

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>>4609567
heh
>>4609626
>97% of the roll comes from a single 'die'

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“Don't you think fate brought us here for a reason more important than tourism and avoiding going home?” You ask her, gazing out over the fields, “You don't have to tell me, but I would like to know if there is something else. For example, how did you hear of Koumugi castle? It's a fairly minor fortress, from the days before the Wall, when our defenses were more scattered than along a certain point.”

Her fingers tighten on Ritsu's bridle, and you see her struggle with something for a moment. Then she says simply, “My aunt.”

“Your aunt told you about it?” You ask.

“No, not directly.” She exhales heavily, “I was being nosy, going through some old letters in storage on our family estate. I like the smells of perfumed paper, there is something intimate about them, like an emotion caught in time. Anyway, I found a small parcel of letters to my father, addressed 'dear brother'. I never even knew I had an aunt. Mother was incensed when she found out I had read them. Apparently, Aunt Chouko was more or less dead to the family after the dishonor she brought us. I know you won't repeat this after two sips of sake, Arinaga-kun, so I'll tell you.”

“Aunt Chouko?” The wheels fall into place, “Kodo-san, you're not...”

“She was younger than I was when she met Arinaga Toshiaki.” She says, “He seduced her, disfigured her betrothed in a duel, and had the wealth and prestige as the yojimbo to a prominent Yasuki Family member to sway my paternal grandparents, back before my father achieved an important enough post to marry a Bayushi. In those days, the Kodo were relatively unimportant vassals. Arinaga Toshiaki would have Kodo Chouko as his wife, or he would be her lover publicly, and force her into spinsterhood by maiming any other man who looked at her. He was fierce, he was aggressive, he was brash, but he was popular in many circles, and seen as a rising star. Chouku for her part, was haughty in her newfound status. This much I gathered from what little mother told me. Being a country samurai must have been grating, she thought she was being elevated above the rest of her family. Then her older brother, my father, saved the Clan Champion's life and became his personal batman mere weeks after her wedding, and his star never ceased its ascent. Every command he was given, he excelled with. Every task he was instructed to do, he accomplished without fail. Chouku gave father the razor edge of her tongue at every meeting, and it only grew more venomous when he married my mother...and when, almost immediately, I was conceived, while Chouku still had no children."

[Continue]

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“Toshiaki's reputation had only grown worse, and the womanizing, the drinking, the cruelty that had once been a young man's rakishness became uncomfortable and unpleasant to endure. Finally, my mother had enough. The reason why, she was very clear about. Arinaga Toshiaki drank too much at dinner during a visit, and became forward with her. Then when he was rebuffed, Chouku called her a...well, I am sure you can imagine, and accused her of leading her husband on. I imagine that was how she had been rationalizing the adultery, which Toshiaki did not bother to conceal from her. Both of them were permanently banished from the family, the Kodos would no longer visit the Arinagas, and the Arinagas were no longer welcome at our home. After some time, she wrote an endless stream of letters, each written to my father. They were never read. Past missives from her had all been pure venom, and my father has a kind heart for family, mother made sure he wasn't distracted by them.” Her tone is just slightly sarcastic.

Her gaze fixes on the sky, on a wheeling hawk overhead, “They should have been. Ignoring them was a mistake. Toshiaki blamed Chouku for alienating us, Toshiaki was once more petitioning his lord to allow him to serve a tour on the Wall...one he had made many times before, but was never granted on the grounds of his other duties, Toshiaki was selecting the prettiest village girls and making love to them in her bed, Toshiaki was beating her. She was begging to be rescued from him. The last straw was him bringing a preteen girl into their house as his ward. She had no idea who the girl's parents were. Her manners were those of the samurai class, but she refused Chouku's desperate questions. For a time, she feared this girl, Miho, was some illegitimate daughter of Toshiaki's, but they bore no resemblance to each other. Her thoughts turned towards the monstrous, that he was planting a seed to make the flower his concubine when it blossomed. Then Toshiaki's petition was granted. He went to the Wall. Her last letter ended with her saying that she thought things might get better from now on, with his longterm wish fulfilled.” Her mouth turns downward, “I gather that did not happen.”

“This is a bad place.” You finally give voice to what you have been thinking since you entered the valley, “Like any man sent home with wounds from the Wall, my uncle would have been examined by the Kuni to ensure no Taint remained, but...”

“I'm familiar with the Hiruma play 'Closing Night', even if it was forbidden from production.” She says hastily. Well, YOU aren't! Whatever it has to say about Tainted samurai coming home to kill family members, you don't know about it.

“Besides, she was the only one who died. Kodo-san, this is morbid, however it happened.” You protest mildly. “It was long ago, the man is dying. Painfully. Slowly.”

[Continue]

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“This is not about revenge, Arinaga-kun.” She jumps slightly to the conclusion that you were maybe envisioning her creeping into your uncle's room with bisento in hand, “I just don't like to think of her trapped, forgotten, waiting for a rescue that never came. Waiting for her husband to be the man she once adored again. I have something to witness too, and if there is anything there that will let me put her to rest, any clue of how she ended her life, I have a responsibility to find it. Rebellious daughters, even if she hated me and I probabl would have hated her, have to stick together.”

You grunt, “How did you convince this intimidating highborn mother of yours to let you go? She must have known you planned to investigate.”

“I threatened to show father the letters and tell him she had hidden each and every single one from him. She told me she meant to show them to him, someday, when things had calmed down, but everything moved so quickly, but she did not call my bluff. I was already in trouble for winning that duel, I thought I might as well press my luck and get out of the house for a while. She thought she had me outsmarted with a careful itinerary and bodyguards answerable to her, ha! Her subtlety failed before my peerless horsewomanship, I simply outpaced my bodyguards. Although everything I told you was true, I informed our Crab hosts that I had heard of the magnificent Arinaga castle, and asked where it might be.” She gives you a sunny, innocent smile.

>[I am not helping you with this]
>[I will help you with this]
>[Noncommital grunt]

>>4609736

For those who are curious, Closing Night is about the final days of the ancestral Hiruma castle from the perspective of the wife and daughters of a Hiruma general, who in the closing scene of the play returns from the battlefield as a Lost and slaughters his whole family in a scene so horrifying it was IMMEDIATELY banned from ever being performed again. Although there are rumors that the Crab still put it on for their lords and don't invite outsiders.

>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]

>>4609747
>[Noncommital grunt]

I do appreciate the honesty. Coming from a Scorpion's lips makes it all the sweeter.

I only pray that's not venom I'm tasting...

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>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]
After all we can't stay blind and deaf to all these rumors. I kinda want to learn what truly happened since the mystery of Chouko's death is unfolding before our very eyes. Plus Sayaka sounds like she really deserves to know.

>>4609716
Well would you look at that. Sayaka too has a family tree now. (I also modified ours to add Natsuko's {our mother's} name). Man I am into this. Nice writing Mr.Wong

>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]
As much as we can, at any rate. We're both on a timetable here from my impression; she until her bodyguards catch up and we have to get back to the Wall after this barring what happens next.

>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]
"I appreciate the honesty, Kodo-san."

>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]

>>4609716
>saved the Clan Champion's life and became his personal batman
>batman
Nani?

>>4609567
This game is awesome. It's extremely relaxing, but I have to constantly check the time so I don't get completely absorbed in it.

>>4609762

If you like, I can add to that. Mitsuaki has a wife named Akusei Rei and a son named Kyo. The joke goes that due to Mitsuaki's stutter, he married a woman and had a son with short names. Daisuke's mother's last name was Matsuda before she married Yudai.

>>4609747
>[I will help you with this]
Im starting to expect uncle is tainted enough that this child is actually born a fucking gobo.
There is evil seeping from across the wall here Kodo-san, and crabs are duty bound to expunge the evil from that side of the wall

>>4609773
>tfw you thought he named his son Kyo and assumed it was his stutter when he said "Kikyo"
>it wasn't

>>4609747
>You misunderstand my worry. I will help you in this, but because i fear not that my uncle is the tainted one. After all it is fairly clear who his new wife was, and why would she have a yojimbo?"

>>4609772

I said much the same thing when I first encountered the term. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(military)

Essentially he is a man that the Scorpion Clan Champion can say a thing to, and that thing is done. There are some things you need a general for, and some that you need a single, absolutely loyal human being intimate with your thinking to accomplish.

>>4609762

Also, thank you!

>>4609777

Anyone who gets that badly wounded by a Shadowlands anything will have the Kuni give them a thorough taint-check and lots of jabbing with bits of jade to see if they burn. He was not Tainted when he came home from the Wall, and he has not left home since.

>>4609762
I'm enjoying these family trees mate. Keep it up, man!

>>4609788
I thought great writing was a given... :^)

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>>4609773
Thanks for the info! This will probably be the final major update to the tree until something major happens in or we meet the family of another important character.
-The doted line for Chouko leads into the Kodo Family Tree
-We found Mitsuaki's wife and kid! Remember guys: Currently our Mom lives with them for...reasons. But we probably trust our uncle right?

>>4609794
Why am i Suspecting the little moppet he "took as his ward" is now his wife, and is stupidly tainted and a shugena/maho-tsukai who ensorcelled him?


I half expect him to be dead now.

>>4609794
Well it may not be shadowland taint, but his heart is definitely tainted....

>>4609798
From what we know our stuttering uncle is good people, and she probably lives with him because dad had no lands and we do not have a household.

Since we likely have no lands, she lives with him because she's not living at the WALL>

>>4609798
>...reasons

Oh. I should clarify that. That is pretty normal, in the circumstances. With her husband dead and her son at the wall, Natsuko went straight to her sister-in-law Rei to live with her and her family. Rei and Natsuko were childhood friends and that didn't change when they married brothers. Mitsuaki is a kind, gentle, easygoing man who everyone likes (except Juro and Toshiaki, who found it infuriating). On account of his stutter, he speaks slowly, but he is a massive, barrel-chested man and the tallest of the three siblings, much like his son Kyo. Kyo is several years older than Daisuke and also married, to a girl named Suzu who he dotes on.

>>4609824
Makes perfect sense to me

>>4609831
Damnit Wong I just updated this family tree! But i can't stay mad because of all this sexy lore were getting.

Btw, it seems the "Tale of 2 Shells" was closer then we thought what with Chouko being technically a Scorpion (in a way) and Toshiaki being a Crab. Even more ironic is that Crabs irl have a slightly longer lifespan then Scorpions.

Taking a half-hourish dinner break, by the way, then we'll resume.

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Crabfu when

>>4609881

Too small. Too flat.

>>4609898
A real Crab woman makes Daisuke look like he still sits at the little kids table at dinner.

>>4609881
>not wearing as much armor as is physically feasible for her assigned duty
Get out of here you spy.

>>4609913
Remember, there is a stealth class of Crab, that blend into the Shadowlands.

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>>4609898
>Too flat.
>Crab women bushi smashing goblin heads with their tits and thighs

>>4609913
That’s formal wear dummy

>>4609898
O-ushi is like peak crabfu
>Her hot temper and readiness to meet any insult with a swift stroke from her Dai Tsuchi earned her a new nickname, Bully.
>To win the hand of the tomboy, a tetsubo-only contest was arranged by Yakamo. O-Ushi entered to win her own hand but, during the fight, Daidoji Uji and O-Ushi knocked each other out and Yasamura was declared the winner. The two were married before O-Ushi regained consciousness.
>only marries someone capable of beating her unconscious with a stick in a tournament
What a woman

>>4609922
Yeah, and helmets don't make much noise.

>>4609931
Yeah, formally a stripper.

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“I appreciate your honesty, Kodo-san.” You turn, and for once, she sees a smile beneath the overshadowing brim of your kabuto helmet. “Because I intend to help you with this.”

She puts one hand over her lips, as if she was holding a fan, and eyes you impassively. It's always just that little bit harder to tell what she is thinking, with her veil over her eyes. “Arinaga-kun, I'm stunned. You really didn't have to offer, I was asking for tolerance, not help.”

“It's the right thing to do. Even if we don't find anything, looking will at least give you some closure.” The seemingly endless rice paddies finally end, and at last, you see the cluster of houses and other peasant buildings that mark the village. To be honest, you have not spent much of your time in villages. You're sure there is a mill or something, there would usually be. The village is not laid out in a complicated pattern. One main road right through town, and a loop of road to either side. The houses are small, wooden affairs, none taller than two stories. You see very few people in the street, even children. You do catch a glimpse, though, of small, frightened eyes peeking at you from windows and doorways.

“Arinaga-kun, there is a public house just ahead. If we are to meet with landed members of your family, it would not do to go in there too dusty from the road, and considering you let me have the last of your water you must be more parched than I am. Let me pay for our tea, and a meal.” Sayaka smiles, patting Ritsu on the neck. The black mare whickers happily and bobs her head up and down, a gesture that you think means she likes you. She is a very well-behaved horse.

>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]
>[No, I am going to march straight to the castle and demand to know why bandit scum are being allowed to roam my ancestral lands, increasingly loudly until I get an answer]

>>4609441
>>4609446
I think i have read it somewhere that all peasants start at 1 point in all of there stats. Were as all of the nobility start at 2 points in all of there rings stats. If this is true does this mean that the nobility of this world are truly descended from the gods and better in every way to normal humans like they always said they were?

>>4609949

>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

>>4609951
Just means they weren't starved half to death by the tax collectors as kids.

>>4609949
>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

We may learn more of this problem from the locals, or at least their perspective of the situation.

>>4609949
>>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]
>>4609951
>>4609962
And you know, have a proper education.

>>4609949
>>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

>>4609951

I don't recall this, but it's possible. The Generic Enemies .pdf I have (while a lot of the math was either wrong or intentionally gave them way too few wounds and not enough Armor TN, which I corrected) has most of their stats at 2, some at 1, some at 3. If you take the Servant Advantage, your Servant has a 2 in everything and then, I believe, 3 points in a certain Skill. That said, the ruling families of the Great Clans currently in existence are all descended from the Kami they're named after. Except for the Phoenix, in which case it's complicated. Also the Dragon, who are the disciples of Togashi rather than his blood descendants.

>>4609949
>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

Thank you Ritsu. But know this a Daisuke always pays back his dept, favors, and oaths to there friends and family. And Chouku was my family as well. If my uncle truly was the one to kill my aunt than it was my fathers responsibility to find out the truth and bring him to justice for his crime. And now that my father is dead the familys honer falls to me. I will not let evil of any kind go unpunished if i can help it.

>>4609949
>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

>>4609977
An Arinaga, you mean. Names are reversed, because families/clans are more important than an individual, and thus go first.

>>4609949
>[Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too, we will come at this problem fresh and hydrated]

>>4609966
Eh there is most likely a massive breeding program going on where all of the nobles of the land have breed themselves to be better than everyone else. And all of the gifts from heaven help a lot as well. But yeah i do remember that if you start out as a peasant you start with 1 in all of your rings stat. And you just have to deal with it. Or be the first monkey lord and be a chad badass that not only gets made a nobleman but the head of his own minor house.

>>4609992
It's called inbreeding, anon.

>>4609982
Stupid japan-es names making me look bad.

>>4610000
Nah man, it's just a quirk of the differences in both cultures. It's interesting when you think deeper on it.

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>>4609992
>ywn be a monkechad

>>4610013
.... The pain never ends. I mean unless we get Arinaga Daisuke fast enough that Mr. Wong will still feel like starting over from scratch. Then it is pure monkey shenanigans time.

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“Of course, on condition that Ritsu gets a treat too. People are like blades, they need to be polished and sharpened to be at their best. We will come at this problem honed to a razor's edge, and well-hydrated.” Dehydration can kill you, and worse, it can affect your judgment and get other people killed too.

“Very wise. Between you and I, a bath? I would do anything for one. Oh, to wash my hair and feel my skin rejuvenate in the hot water...” She sighs in imagined bliss, “I bet even you would relax.”

“I am relaxed.” You counter, nonplussed.

“You are not.” She disagrees pleasantly, “You are just so tense, so often, that you don't realize it anymore. I will fix that.”

“Letting your guard down is how soldiers get killed on the W-” It's no use, she just goes into the teahouse ahead of you, tossing Ritsu's reins over her shoulder for you to catch. By the time you have her tied up, Sayaka is paying a scrawny man who looks like a farmer while explaining in exacting detail how she wants Ritsu rubbed down...she makes hand motions to demonstrate...and brushed.

“...After that, show me that wound on your arm you're trying to hide. If it suppurates, you could lose the limb entirely, but I can prevent that.” She informs him pleasantly as he scurries off to do her bidding. She takes a seat on a bench, and pats the spot next to her until you join her, “That man had been stabbed with a yari. He was trying to stop me from noticing, O-Tora's bandits are surely operating with impunity even in the village itself.” She tells you quietly. She smiles, looking up at the approach of a cute-but-not-quite-pretty girl in a clean but plain kimono. Sayaka orders tea for the both of you, and chicken udon, “...In the Crab style.”

“You don't have to say that.” You correct her, embarrassed, “We are in Crab lands, any udon you find is going to be Crab udon.”

“You say that, but you would be wrong.” She pulls out a pair of black-lacquered chopsticks, and then looks approvingly at yours as you get them out, “Oh those are nice. You've got pretty good taste, Arinaga-kun.”

You clack your chopsticks together, like a crab clacking its pincers. That's how your mother taught you to use chopsticks. “Thank you, Kodo-san.”

[Continue]

“Anyway, you are unfortunately wrong. One thing that varies wildly between the Clans is noodles. The Crab like thick, filling buckwheat noodles. The Crane, on the other hand, like theirs as thin as hair, and take pride in the length of them and how deftly they can wrap them around their chopsticks.” She smiles, twirling hers to demonstrate.

“Playing with their food.” You snort, “Who wants thin noodles? I want to know I'm eating when I eat. Big chunks of meat, proper noodles, it seems self-evident.”

“Seems is a fascinating word.” Sayaka notes, “The problem is, many of the more upscale places to eat I went to on my tour saw me, and thought I would want more familiar noodles, so they kept trying to make them extra long and thin. Specifying I wanted it in the traditional way both made them feel like it was something special, and got me the authentic cuisine I wanted.”

You stare at her, and grunt, “I guarantee you there is only one way they make noodles in Koumugi Village.” You point, “There is going to be one big pot back there, full of noodles. Noodles unadulterated by...by...not-proper...noodle...proportions.” Impossible woman.

“'In the Crab style' is only four words, Arinaga-kun, I'm hardly being a spendthrift with them.” She protests.

“It's just unnecessary! We have normal noodles! There is no 'Crab style' as if our noodles are different or weird! They're just proper noodles! Good noodles! The best noodles!”

“Thank you for your high praise, honored guests.” The plain girl returns with two big, steaming bowls of udon, and places them down before you with a smile, “If you desire more onion, please say so. We have quite a lot.”

>[Take advantage of this distraction]
>[Refuse to let the argument go]

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>>4610033

Forgot my picture!

>>4610033
>>[Take advantage of this distraction]

>>4610033
>>[Take advantage of this distraction]

>>4610033
>[Take advantage of this distraction]
Distractions in the heat of battle will get you killed, after all.

>>4610026
>You clack your chopsticks together, like a crab clacking its pincers. That's how your mother taught you to use chopsticks.
Damn, Mom's based.

>>4610033
>>[Refuse to let the argument go]
NOODLES ARE NOODLES

If they have enough spare onions maybe we should get a whole one for the road? For Ritsu of course. On top of the treat she's already getting.

>>4610033
>[Take advantage of this distraction]

>>4610040

Ironically, onions and garlic are two of the only fruits and vegetables horses cannot eat.

>>4610045
Damn for real? Kinda sucks. One of the best animals for farm labor and labor in general and it can't eat a staple, generally easy to farm veggie.

Dogs can't either I think. Another useful animal to have on a farm.

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]
What's next the Lion's like their noodles made of rice instead of Buckwheat?

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]

>>4610050

There are a surprising number horses like and can eat but a fair few that are just toxic to them. Even some of the safe ones require you to, for example, take out the pit or make sure they don't eat too much and get a phytobezoar (say, from persimmons).

>>4610053
Sort of like some humans and peanuts. Mammals are weird.

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]

What else are two young teens going to do with there time but deepen there bonds of friendship by complaining about food and how to make it properly. Life is all about these small moments between strangers getting to know each other.

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]

>>4610056
It's more of a tactical move to save face. We haven't trained in word-fighting, and losing when we have the home-field advantage? Shameful.

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]
"And how do the Scorpion like their udon, Kodo-san?"

>>4610059
But the Hiruma are known for valor in lost causes, aren't we?

>>4609751
Bearers of Jade was a super good supplement. Also, that play was semi-disturbing to read, probably because of the PoV they wrote it from. By the time you figure out exactly what's happening...

>>4610033
>[Take advantage of this distraction

>>4610080
Valiant effort, my friend. Alas, it comes too late.

>>4610059
>>4610063
It is all the same thing in the end is it not. Two kids just being kids being prideful, stupid, and vain while at the same time having fun, getting to know each-other, and learning more about themselves as they talk to other people. After all you can not trust opinions and preconceptions to tell you who your new friends really are even if they are from the Scorpion clan.

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No. You refuse to let this argument go. This is an assault on good, solid Crab values. On the things that make Rokugan, Rokugan. You will be damned if noodles are not one of those things. What's next? Rice that isn't rice? Gaijin swords on samurai hips? This is an affront. An offense, to everything countless samurai have fought and died for. “I did not hack down a hill of goblins so that some CRANE could declare noodles as thin as his moral fiber were the standard and that in my own lands someone has to specify that they want their noodles made properly. Hoy, serving girl. These noodles, they're made by someone in your family, yes?”

“Yes, my lord. My grandmother. Father and mother are working in the fields, but at grandmother's age, having someone to take a turn stirring the noodles and making tea is essential. I tell her I wouldn't mind doing all of it, but she just laughs at me.” The serving girl bows.

“See, Kodo-san? That is how it is meant to be. Wholesome. Free of pretension. Pardon me, serving girl, but have you ever been to Crane lands? Has your grandmother?”

Her eyes go wide, “Why, no, my lord! We have lived in this village our entire lives.”

“Good. Making noodles, the way our ancestors made noodles before us, correct?” You stand up, gesturing for Sayaka to do the same.

She looks about a quarter amused and three quarters mystified. Compared to the serving girl, who looks confused and as if she hopes she has not given offense somehow. You lead Sayaka over to where an elderly woman is stirring a pot of noodles. The old lady peers up at Sayaka absent-mindedly, then at you, “Do you and your wife want some more noodles, my lord?”

“See?” You announce triumphantly, “Noodles. Not 'noodles in the Crab style'. Noodles. Because we are in Crab lands, where noodles are made properly. Look, look in the pot.” You point.

“Must I, Arinaga-kun?” Sayaka asks, but despite the pained note she affects she still sounds amused as she peers into the pot.

“You must. Do you see any thin noodles?” You demand to know.

“Well, my lord, some do get pressed more up against the sides than others. Noodles are soft by nature, and no two are perfectly the same.” The old lady smiles as if she just said something deep and profound. Maybe she has.

“And those noodles become wider or longer, they are still nice, plump noodles made in the Crab Lands.” You rest your case, triumphant. "Tell me, Kodo-san, how do the people of your Clan like their udon?"

"Properly spiced with herbs from our own garden, as a rule, but this one likes the kind in this pot. In other words, noodles in the Crab style.” Sayaka gives you an ineffably cheerful grin.

You look at the old woman nodding uncertainly, and the hovering serving girl. You make your way back to your seat, and after Sayaka joins you and a quick itadakimasu you dig in to the excellent PROPER noodles.

[Continue]

>>4610033
>[Refuse to let the argument go]

She should order an entire bowl of udon in the Crane style and eat them super smugly while Daisuke tries not to fume.

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“It's unnecessary.” You mutter, quietly, hoping Sayaka doesn't hear.

“No it isn't.” She responds with feline dignity.

You call for the serving girl again, “Do you have any melons? Or persimmons? Radishes?”

The serving girl bows, “Honored guest, it is early in the year for fruit, but we do have radishes.”

“I'll take some, horses like radishes, and Ritsu has earned it.” You turn to Sayaka, “I'm surprised you're letting anyone other than you brush her.”

She smiles, looking delighted by the topic, “It's good for her to get attention from people other than me, it keeps her properly socialized. I actually enjoy giving her a rub-down after a ride. It builds a connection, and she is an excellent listener with a gift for not repeating what she hears. You give her the radishes, though, she likes you.” Mischief suffuses her smile, “So do I.”

>["You too"]
>["I'm not done talking about these noodles"]

>>4610085
Fun is when it is an actual contest, with the outcome unknown. This is just a Scorpion courier beating a Country Crab in a contest he never had any hope in winning. The Moto army trying to blitz the Shadowlands comes to mind.

Silly and petty it may be, among friends, but that's no excuse for a shameful performance in the face of a challenge, even if that challenge is the normality of noodle types.

>>4610091

Sometimes losing to a girl is winning.

>>4610090
>>["You too"]

>>4610090
>["I'm not done talking about these noodles"]

>>4610093
That depends on the girl, and your intentions.

>>4610090
>>["You too"]

>>4610090

>["You too"]

Roark:STEAK/MEATBREAD
Ceaser: Mealbars....
Amos: CATFISH/CHEESEBURGERS
Jacob: CHEEEEEESE!
Daisuke: NOOOOODLES!

The years roll on but something never change.

>>4610090
>["I'm not done talking about these noodles"]

>["You too"] Wait WHAT?!?!

>>4610090
>["I'm not done talking about noodles"]
"I am curious, though, as to how your clan prefers their noodles."

Sleep is finally catching me, so this is the last vote of the night, but I'll try to keep going tomorrow.

>>4610097
Having fun and making memory's you will hold on too for the rest of your life are good intentions.

>>4610089
I'd bet my left kidney that some day Sayaka will meet us elsewhere and we'll sit down for noodles and she'll just have the smuggest look as she orders noodles and notes how thin they are.

Really I hope it becomes a sort of in-joke when talking about people. Asking how they like their noodles. Judging them.

>>4610090
>[Me too.]
Right over his head.

>>4610090

>["You too"]

Be gracious in victory, and as a merciful opponent in this matter, indulge her with radishes. Extra onion for us though, goes well with the chicken.

Don't think that I didn't catch the old woman calling us husband and wife, and Sayaka not correcting the matter.

>>4610090
>>["You too"]

>>4610105
We did not correct her ether. So shame on us.

>>4610108
When talking about noodles there is no time for such minor details.

>>4610105
He's too distracted by the noodles to notice such trifles!

>>4610102
Night Wong, nice session today, hope tomorrow will go just as well!

>>4610103
So losing isn't winning, in this case. *huff*

(I understand your explanation perfectly, but a young, prideful, militaristic samurai? Think of my responses as IC, instead of OOC irl thoughts ;^)

>>4610090
>["You too"]

>>4610090
>[Hand her a radish]

Where is the checky option when you need it?

>>4610102

Right on Wong, have a good one. It's been a blast, and playing someone so blunt is a good change of pace.

>>4610108
>>4610110

Listen, we didn't cut down heaps of stinking greenskins to come home to noodles the size of grains of rice. The fact that what the old woman said slipped past us the first go around doesn't mean that we didn't hear it. It's just that we haven't gotten to that part of the argument yet.

Plus, in fairness. the teahouse staff are given enough to make that wrong assumption. Good-natured arguing over shapes of noodles, being young and healthy, two people arriving with the one horse, a healthy Crab boy with a woman clearly from away? It's just like a young couple showing up at your restaurant on their way back to the family to announce their marriage at the estate.

>>4610090
>You too
But in a friendly way, we can't fall prey to first girl syndrome

>>4610683
Hey liking someone isn't the same as saying you want to date or marry someone.

It is inevitable.

>cranefu:manipulative WHORE, doesn’t respect crab or noodle
>dragonfu:possible nudist, sketchy cult practices, sick dragon tats
>mantisfu:up jumped peasant, probably a pirate
>lionfu:respects crab more than crane whore, honor, most likely autistic
>scorpionfu:most likely a sex freak, suspicious, doesn’t respect noodles
>crabfu:literally perfect, respects noodles, not a dirty cr*ne clan member
>unicornfu:dumb name, practices dirty foreign customs, likely eats noodles wrong, may or may not respect crab
>spiderfu:kill on site
>irrelevantfu:needs more information on noodle policy

>>4610722
Daisuke Arininaga's Noodle Review Publication Monthly when?

>>4610724
This, we need to know what every clan’s noodles are like, how Crab noodles are the best

>>4610724
It would provide a small bit of resistance and defiance to the crane clans dominance of all of Rokugans culture and good taste. So why not when we have some free time.

>>4610722

>unicornfu hands Daisuke a bowl of penne alfredo
>what's wrong Daisuke-kun? this is traditional Moto noodles, the way nona made it.

Lionfu would probably argue just as heatedly over them, saying this is the way Lion made it for countless generations, and is thus the proper, honourable noodles should be.

>>4610787
>tfw unicornfu eats noodles with something called a "fork"

>>4610787
>>4610791
More like
>daisuke:what is disgusting horse milk brick?
>unicornfu:*unintelligible*
>daisuke:what?
>unicornfu:HUURRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

>>4610724
>>4610740
SubQuest discovered! Explore, discover and rate every clans noodles and then publish a pamphlet about them.

>>4610829
Need to actually get a posting that allows us to travel the Empire first.

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>>4610816

>unicornfu's family is visiting
>says she's making roast
>whatever, can't be worse than that fermented horse milk she insisted on drinking when pregnant last year
>come back from hard day killing goblins
>hollowed out goat with vegetables and rocks inside it cooked over dried horse shit fire
>"supper's ready Daisuke-kun!"

Honestly enjoy stuff like that, but can just imagine how typical Rokugan people would react to it.

>>4610835
There is a stigma about eating meat. So probably quite poorly.

>>4610843
It's a taboo on red meat, not all meat but I think Wong said he got rid of that part for this quest.

>>4610843

Pretty sure Wong said he was getting rid of some of the taboos he thought were retarded, and the one against red meat was one of them.

>>4610849
>>4610853
Well no one really considers fish to be meat. That's meat without feet. A completely different thing. No one eats snakes don't even say it that's a myth.

But if Wong just dropped it that's great. Because a limited diet is a bad one.

>>4610855
Maybe the lower classes are not allowed to eat red meat so as to keep them weak and small. But the samurai and other upper classes are both encouraged and expected to eat red meat and other high protein foods so as to build both size and straight. So as to be better at controlling the peasants thru brutality and strength of arms.

>>4610853
>>4610855
Personally the red meat thing is alright to me considering it actually has a historical basis but I don't really care if Wong gets rid of it. Canon Unicorn definitely doesn't give a crap about it in their own lands though.

It’s weird to me that there was never a viper clan or really any snake based clan

>>4610910
There was a Snake Clan, just that they got corrupted by maho and the Phoenix exterminated them.

>>4610914
I was thinking more from a gameplay perspective, instead of being those dudes who got possessed and btfo’d. I dunno it just seems like an animal that would be more commonly associated with a major group

File: kabuto.jpg (31 KB, 700x468)

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The serving girl does her best to listen in as she fetches the radishes.

“I like you too.” You tell Sayaka.

She smiles, a warm, bright smile, one that widens with a giggle as you hand her a radish. “Daisuke, could you do something for me?” She asks, “It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but with my veil, and the brim of your helmet, it's a little hard to see your face, ever since we met. Could you take it off for a while?”

You humor her, removing your helmet while Sayaka pulls up her veil on one side to expose one of her green eyes. You set your kabuto aside, look back at her, and immediately a triple gasp goes up. You look around, and notice that the old lady is peeking at you, blushing. The serving girl is staring at you, blushing. Sayaka's own cheeks are very red, and her dark lips part softly, “Oh my...” She murmurs, unhidden.

“He looks like a prince.” The serving girl sight, putting a hand to her cheek.

“He must ba a prince!” The old lady agrees.

The truth is, there is a story in your family. Shortly before you were conceived, he risked his life to carry a note between a girl and her lover on the Wall, a relatively minor deed in a life full of great deeds. Although it would have been easy to refuse, he did it. A few weeks afterward, Yudai was on his way home from dinner with Natsuko, his wife and your mother, when he had a strange encounter. An elderly soothsayer, tossing her yarrow sticks by the side of the road, stopped him and informed him that he would father a beautiful son, touched by Benten, the fortune of romantic love. Your mother claims he then said, indignantly, “Why not Bishamon?”

Everyone has commented on your good looks as long as you can remember. You were actually teased for it in training and on patrols.

[Continue, your Benten's Blessing Advantage is now in effect, giving you +1k1 on rolls to persuade]

>>4610923
I think they picked animals out of a hat for the major clans honestly.

>>4610853

It's fucking stupid, Japan eats red meat and Rokugan is more of a China-esque inland landmass with a few islands.

>>4610927
Semi-related, unicorn clan sounds so lame compared to kirin clan, I get that it’s a reflection of the gaijin influence but still

>>4610926
>Daisuke
Barely a day and we're on a first name basis now, how dishonorable tsk tsk.

Just kidding, flex those looks Daisuke.

>>4610934
I think that comes down to kirin typically being depicted less like a horse and more like a weird thing. Whereas a unicorn is both foreign and literally just a horse with a horn. And the Unicorn really like their horses.

>>4610929

Given traditional Cantonese food culture, implementing food-based taboos is itself a joke. So long as it's edible, they'll find a way.

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“This is why I wear my helmet.” You grumble, putting it back on.

Sayaka pouts and crosses her arms, “This is why you shouldn't!”

“I don't want to get hit on the head by an enemy!” You protest.

The serving girl has a big grin on her face as she walks away from your lighthearted conversation. Her cheap sandals tap across the floor like the hooves of a young goat, animated and full of good humor. Until she hears the sound of footsteps entering the teahouse, and the door sliding open. She turns with a smile, “Welcome, what can I-” She suddenly gets a good look at the two men who've entered the building, and the color drains from her face.

Scarred men, hard-faced and tough-looking. One of them is picking his remaining teeth with the point of a knife, while the other leers down at the girl from a face that was clearly kissed by a sword at some point.

“P-please be seated, I...I will be right back with the food and your m-money...” The girl quivers with fear, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor until the scarfaced bandit tilts her chin up with the backside of his masakari. The axe is old, but it's Crab military issue.

“We've got an appetite today, don't we?” The scarfaced bandit looks back at the toothless bandit with a grin. He and his confederate go to sit down on one of the benches. The girl turns away, and yelps as the scarfaced bandit slaps her backside with the full force of his arm, stumbling onto her hands and knees and crawling away from them.

“Maybe we should make an example of her?” The toothless bandit licks the backside of his knife, “Our road patrol didn't come back last night, maybe some of these villagers are starting to get...ideas.”

The scarfaced one chuckles, “Can't have that, now can we?” He grabs the back of the serving girl's kimono, and pulls hard. She screams, struggling to get out of it and away from him. “Off, off! Nobody should have to die a virgin!” The scarfaced bandit guffaws, not quite noticing that his toothless friend has stopped until he looks up, and sees you standing over him.

The Kaiu Blade in your hand catches the light filtering in through the windows, the hamon on the blade creating the impression of dark, foamy waves crashing against a pale, sandy shore.

>[Leave one alive, to tell O-Tora to wash his neck]
>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

>>4610929
Is Rokugan the size of China and it just has a Japans knockoff culture and themes? What with the samurai and all that stuff.

>>4610934

Their Courtiers have a focus on creating harmony, which...inevitably, brings me back to a song from the heyday of Adult Swim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKrgurYEShM

>>4610947
>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]
Bandits are just pale goblins

>>4610947
>>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

>>4610938

It is a marked departure from her saying Arinaga-kun, but also the correct time for her to say it.

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>>4610947
>>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

>>4610947

>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

One dies for scaring the girl, and the other for using a Crab axe after deserting his post.

>>4610950
>a bunch of former exiled westaboos
>creating harmony with samurai
lol

>>4610947
>>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

>>4610949

I don't know if it's the size of China, I'm terrible with maps, but it has a weird melange of Japan sauce spread out over Korea/Thai/China and it definitely looks bigger than Japan.

>>4610947
>>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

>>4610947
>>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]
You both fucked up.

>>4610947
>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]
Their lucky we're done with our meal, else this would have been much crueler

>>4610955
It's funny how the way Sayaka phrases makes total sense both at face value for Daisuke and how it looks for someone like the waitress yeah.
>>4610962
It's supposedly the size of France IIRC according to Atlas of Rokugan

>>4610970

Honoraboo baguette-sans.

>>4610947
>[Leave one alive, to tell O-Tora to wash his neck]

Pop both your knuckles and your neck as you get up from your seat. And say to your self and Sayaka that it is time to go to work and clean up Rokugan one bandit scumbag at a time. As well as we should say to her that we are sorry that these assholes just ruined out tall about good food. The uncultured piece of shit.

Kindly roll some dice for me, mostly as a formality, but I want to see if you can pull off something...cool.

>>4610947
>[Kill both, today is an unlucky day for bandits]

No one lives for threatening the continuation of this ancestral noodle making family.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4610975
Cool you say?

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4610975

Ask and ye shall receive.

>>4610950

>crane is jealous because unicorn can execute standing backflips on a whim
>unicorn is disgustingly foreign and no longer to be trusted

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4610975
DICE FOR THE NOODLE GODS!

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4610975
You insult the honor of my family's lands, fools!

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4610977
NOOOOODLES!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4610975

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4610975

More....dice....

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>4610975
Broth for the Broth Throne!

>>4610979

Reroll it.

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4610979
>>4610989
oof

>>4610983
>>4610984
>>4610986

Interesting. Continue rolling dice.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4610975
How many dice do we roll, Wong?

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4610975
You would think that at least one of the bandits would have seen the two samurai sitting at the table having a meal and then start running for there worthless lives.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4610975
NOODLES IN THE CRAB STYLE!
>>4610984
Way to link to the wrong post me

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4610975

For home and supper!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4610993
Reroll?

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4610975

>>4610993

A fair bit more. I mucked up a little but the three I identified here. >>4610992 will be used for something cool.

Everyone remember to reroll your 1s and 10s.

>>4610994

For the sounds of it, Toothless did, but not fast enough.

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4610992
Yoshi!

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4610987

Re-rolling!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4610998
Explosions! Of! Honor!

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4611007
We are the leaf in the wind, the passing of a brook, the passion of a flame.

>>4611007
Nice explosion there anon.

>>4610994
Probably just sloppiness, after all they've been going how long without any threat to them

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>4610975

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4610975
Dice for Noodles

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4611000

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4611010
Thank you, Anon-san. Would you like some more tea with your noodles?

Excellent. No more dice.

>>4611023
>No more dice
Who are you and what have you done with Wong?

>>4611024
Support. This isn't the Wong we know.

>>4611026
He ate the Crane noodles!

>>4611027
My God. It's worse than I thought.

Next time on L5R Origami, Kemari, and Courtly Gossip quest...

>>4611035
Sweet, I can't wait to wear the funny hats.

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Today is an unlucky day for bandits. Your sword flashes, a crescent arc the color of electrum from the warm, spring sunlight. This bandit's face has been kissed by a sword before, but not nearly with such passion. The intimacy is enough to leave his head spinning...across the floor, and out into the street.

You kick his body away from the girl, and advance on the toothless bandit. You see the cowardice and dishonor in his eyes. You predicted what he was going to do next, it was obvious when a man like that was no longer in control of his situation. He would seek to regain it. He would take a hostage, and with you between him and the serving girl, there is only one option. He runs for the old lady.

You slash him across the back, and though it bleeds through his cheap clothes he stumbles onward, putting his all into running for the defenseless old lady.

So you take your wakizashi, and you throw it at him, skewering him through the back of the knee and dropping him facefirst to the ground, cartilage snapping as his nose breaks on the hard floor. He groans, still trying to move, to crawl forward with the shorter of your two swords sticking through his leg. You advance unhurriedly. You lift your katana.

A second bandit head rolls out into the street.

[Continue]

>>4611035
can we kill the gossip instead?

>>4611035

Instead of arguments over types of noodles and just how many bandits we leave alive, we're arguing over the contents of our paintings and the people at court

>look here, sakura blossoms floating onto a river is gay as hell. real art uses a single white lotus to show that you should face death with a strong heart
>rei-chan is best waifu, tomoko a shit

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You retrieve your wakizashi and clean off your blades, stonefaced as the old woman and the young girl deluge you with praise and thanks. “I did nothing but my duty.” You inform them shortly.

“Please, samurai-sama.” The old woman genuflects, “Please give us your name. Why are you here.”

“I am Arinaga Daisuke, called home from the Wall to witness the birth of my cousin.” You inform them.

“O-of course! We heard there was a birth, but...” The old woman wrings her hands, “Arinaga-sama, please. These vile creatures killed my daughter and her husband! They would have done the same to my granddaughter if...if you hadn't...” She bursts into tears.

The serving girl kneels beside her, hugging the old woman and trying to calm her down, “They came here a little less than two years ago.” She says in a numb voice, “There were less of them then. We begged Lord Arinaga for help, but we were not even allowed to see him. The castle guards turned us away at the gate. Lady Arinaga said it was a local problem, that bandits always move on when they have what they want.” Her voice turns bitter, “Apparently these are slow bandits. Some of the men, my father among them, managed to guilt some of the ashigaru from the castle into joining us and fighting back. One of Lord Arinaga's samurai retainers shaved his head and joined us. He was an old man, but he refused to hide behind the walls.”

“Poor Yoshimitsu-san...” The old woman wails, “That giant with the tiger skin killed him in a single blow of his giant axe!”

“O-Tora.” You say. A giant wielding a heavy weapon. A ronin. The Crab may not be the only ones to use weapons like the on, the dai tsuchi, or the tetsubo, but in these lands a large ronin wielding an ono tells you something important, and shameful. This man is likely one of your countrymen. “Are there any other samurai in the castle?” You want to know exactly how many blades you will have access to.

“Okamura-san and Yori-san.” The serving girl says, “The castle guards...when they come out here for tea, say that Okamura-san committed seppuku in protest, and Yori-san died in a duel with Lady Arinaga's yojimbo. I don't know what it was about. I know the guards have been forbidden from getting into fights outside the castle, and the bandits only show up when they aren't in town.”

You grip the cordwork around your saya, “What is the name of this yojimbo?” You ask.

“Nishiyama.” The old woman says, “Nishiyama Takeshi. The peacock of Koumugi Valley.” She looks as if she is about to spit, then thinks better of it.

>[What else do you want to ask?]

>>4611060
>>[What else do you want to ask?]
Tell me more about this Takeshi.

Also not really to them, but where's the nearest clan magistrate located?

>>4611060

How many of the ashigaru are still around? if there's a fair amount, we might be able to take the fight to O-Tora and restore the family honour after we confront them at the castle.

Information about Lord and Lady Arinaga would be helpful too. The only info we have about Toshiaki is from our uncle and likely out of date, and we know sweet fuck all about Miho. Probably ask about Chouko for Sayaka's sake too.

>>4611060
Can I have more noodles? We'll need the energy for when we encounter O-Tora, and it may help them calm down somewhat.

Also, how regularly and at what times do the guards and the bandits visit this village?

>>4611060
>[What else do you want to ask?]

Are there any other bandit groups starting up in the area other than O-Toras group? We know that O-Tora is the big deal but are there other small fry we need to deal with?

>>4611060
>What if any clan does the 'Peacock" hail from? Does he carry one blade or two like a true samurai? Has no magistrate visited recently? When the bandits come here is there anywhere else the visit frequently enough to be noteworthy? has anyone else passed through recently other than these shit headed bandits? When are the guards who stop by normally due? Does anyone else from the castle stop by and give you news? has my uncle been seen in the castle recently? How often do the bandits visit here, and how long until they are missed?

Tell me of my uncle and his wife, because this laxity with his lands unsettles me greatly. Every detail no matter how remote.

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>>4611060
I will never not find these faces hilarious

>>4611069

You are going to have to narrow that down or you will get basically the same stuff you've already heard

>>4611070
>That Imagine name
Absolutely perfect!

>>4611091
what if any clan does his wife hail from, what does she do with her time? does she visit with anyone or leave the castle? What's her name? (we assume it's miho but it might not be) When did she hear about the pregnancy? Any other ruling she make that seem odd or against the crab grain? What does she look like?

My uncle how is he health wise? What has he been doing other than staying cooped up in his castle? When was the last time he was seen and or heard?

How many guards are in the castle? Any suspicious new guards?

>>4611101
Truncated version:

Intel on our uncle, his wife, and the guards. Anything new, unusual, or worthy of being shared is appreciated.

>>4611109
the qm just said we need to get specific or else we get nothing.

>>4611121
Ah. I thought he meant that it was too specific. My bad then.

>>4611101

I think these ones should be exact enough to get more valuable intel. Can't think of much more right now, but might get clarification depending on what the answers are.

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“Are O-Tora's the only bandits around here?” You ask, “The big ronin with the tigerskin is him, I assume.”

The old woman nods, “If there were any others, they're under his banner or gone now.” She shudders.

Sayaka, meanwhile, steps outside, her bisento in hand, scanning the street for more bandits.

“How many ashigaru remain at the castle?” You ask.

The serving girl shrugs, “A...few dozen? We don't know. Less than there used to be. The guards don't come down here much anymore, the castle has its own staff to cook and brew tea for them, and they live in a barracks within the walls. The bandits openly come through town at least once a week, and they nose around the outskirts whenever they feel like it. They prey on travelers, so even if their base is in this area the spend much of their hunting time on the main road, before it forks to head for Koumugi Valley and towns further south.”

“When do the guards usually stop in?” You ask.

She sighs, “To be honest, the few guards who normally do stop by haven't been, for the past week or so. The last time I saw any of them, he said that security was being increased at the castle due to the child arriving any day now.”

“Where is the nearest magistrate and have they visited recently?” You ask.

The old woman smiles bitterly while her granddaughter begins cleaning up the mess, “I don't know. Farther south, closer to Earthquake Fish Bay. I remember seeing magistrates before, but it has been a long time. If one came through here since the bandits arrived, I never saw him or her. You're still young enough to believe that the law cares about everyone's problems, aren't you?”

“It should.” You protest, as any youth would, “What clan does this Peacock hail from? When did he arrive?”

[Continue]

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“Three years ago almost exactly.” The old woman informs you, “I'll never forget what a sight he was. So much plumage...that crimson armor all decorated with golden flames, that beaked mempo. The rising Phoenix emblazoned in gold on his chestplate. His daisho were more ornate than yours, but a bit too...gilt, I thought. Lady Arinaga never stopped talking his ear off for a second.” She laughs suddenly, “Ah, it's funny. When he took that mempo off, all the village girls were starstruck. A different sort of handsome from you, but still, very attractive. Of course, that soured when people started claiming it was his fault for not driving away the bandits.”

“When was the last time my uncle was seen or heard from?” You ask.

The old woman shakes her head, “He is dying, my lord. He has been for years. Bedridden. He does not leave his chambers. I remember him when he was younger, how he would swagger. Back then, he was always hunting. Sometimes for game, sometimes for village girls. Yet, after he went away...to the Wall...” She lowers her head, “When he came back, and that awful accident happened to Lady Chouko, he was not the same after that. Sometimes, he went hunting, but the last time he did my husband was one of his assistants. Lord Arinaga began coughing so violently it scared away the deer he had been stalking, and spat blood. He went into a fury and threw away his bow, and never went hunting again afterwards. I hope he finds peace soon, it is a terrible thing to be dying and not die.”

“What of his new wife. Miho, isn't that her name? I confess, I know nothing about her. Not even what Clan she hails from.” You force yourself to smile, as if making a joke.


[Continue]

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“She was eight years old when the first Lady Arinaga, Lady Chouko, died. Poor thing, to witness such an awful death so young. She was a bit of a mystery when Lord Arinaga came riding home with her, and it was a bit of a scandal when he married her right after her gempukku, which was a private ceremony. I suppose whoever would have him in that state, he was alright with.” She shrugs, “She is a very pretty girl, certainly. As for her Clan, I don't know, she is a cold and aloof woman, but one time a centipede crawled over her foot, and without showing a trace of revulsion she picked it up and flicked it away. When the traveling silk merchant she was conversing with congratulated her on her bravery, she said that there were much larger ones in Tani Senshio, east of Treacherous Pass, where she was born.”

“The Valley of the Centipede...” You know that this is the home to the Centipede Clan. Isolated, sun-worshipping, matriarchal priestesses. That's about all you know of them. “Hardly the first time someone from a Minor Clan became a ward of the Great Clans. Does she ever leave the castle? Or made any strange rulings?”

The old woman sighs, “My lord, I fear this old woman is exhausting her remaining store of words in one evening, but I would gladly give them all to you.” She smiles, “She has not left the castle since the announcement of her pregnancy. Before that, she did occasionally travel, and on one of those travels she brought the Peacock back with her. Although we do blame him for not dealing with the bandits, who is to say she did not order him to stay put? She has never had time for us, and as a child she was moody, sullen, introverted, but with someone more cosmopolitan...traveling merchants, samurai, and such, she would invariably ask for news of the goings-on in the Empire.”

“What does she look like?” You inquire.

The old woman laughs, “You will hardly be able to miss her. Her skin is very tanned, naturally more brown than most. She must spend a lot of time in her gardens, I think. She wears her hair in a hime cut, and loose, never tying it up. I don't believe she has ever cut it, it was so long when she was a child, and now it reaches to her knees.”

>[There was another question I had (specify)]
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158

>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

Relax, and prepare for the morning. Probably ask Sayaka if she knows anything more in detail about the Centipede Clan.

>>4611158
>>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

Now how the frak did a Centipede scion end up here on the other end of the Empire?

>>4611158
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

>>4611158
>[Thank her, bathe, relax for the rest of the day, and visit the castle in the morning]

Well this stinks of Minor Clan politics if i have ever heard it. An old lord is about to die without an heir so he marry someone from a Minor Clan in the hopes of a lucky pregnancy at the last minuet. But the thing is the Minor Clans plan is to make the near dead lord look like a shame to his Great Clan by having bandits rage throughout his lands before he dies. And after he is gone and his heir is born the Minor Clan takes everything into there own hands and gets rid of the bandits in the name of the emperor and there Minor Clan. The highest officials seeing that the Minor Clan are doing a much better job of protecting the lands of the dead lord than the old Great Clan declare that the young heir is now of the Minor Clan and the lands now are under the protection and rule of the Minor Clan in this case the Centipede clan.

These bastards are trying to steal crab clan lands right out from under us. The shitheads all of them.

>>4611158
>>[There was another question I had (specify)]


Was the Peacock asked for explicitly by her, or just passing through until he settled here? Was anyone else at Miho’s gempukku other than Lord arinaga?

>>4611196
>Before that, she did occasionally travel, and on one of those travels she brought the Peacock back with her.
She brought him back.

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You thank her. While the dead bandits are being disposed of, you and Sayaka take advantage of the fact that most of the village is still out in the fields, and use the mostly-unoccupied baths. Bathing is just part of life for you, normally you're crammed into a barracks bath with your entire unit of sweaty Crab warriors, a gunso barking at you to hurry up and sluice off so the next batch can come in. Your father made the point to you early and often that special treatment breeds weak men, so his position did not give you extra time in the baths.

Thus, peasant baths in which men and women are in close proximity with zero privacy and no division between men and women are effectively what you are used to, and if this was at the end of the day when everyone comes back from the rice planting, that would be the experience you get. Instead, you have a tub to yourself. Hot, misty water, and from a tub just close enough to permit conversation, you hear Sayaka humming as she brushes her hair. It may be short for a samurai woman, but it's still glossy and silky and she clearly takes care of it. She seems entirely used to having a bath to herself, and relaxing, the sound of splashing water heralding her kicking her long legs up to scrub them.

>[Peek]
>[Do not peek]

>>4611200
Derp. Curse my smooth brain and ott need for sleep.
They said I strongly suspect Witchery a foot.

>>4611196

She brought him back, other than that this old woman doesn't know, she was in the village making noodles.

>>4611201
>>[Do not peek]
how lewd!!