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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:23 pm
Tsuyoshi stared intently, tensed and held his breath as the Miya tensed, the ghost drew-
And it vanished into the air, like wisps of smoke dissipating and blowing away. The bushi blinked in confusion and let his breath out, fearful for the safety of the Imperial for a long moment until he saw her move, breath, and no blood fell to the ground, no wince. The idea of what he'd seen puzzled the bushi for a moment, until it suddenly became clear. The Doji gasped and stared with stars in his eyes as he slowly approached.
She had drawn his sword, struck, and replaced it again so quickly his eyes had been unable to follow, all right amidst the ghost's draw.
"Miya-ch-sama! That was... amazing!"
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 11:06 pm
It all happened so fast. The mock duels she'd done as a child did precious little to prepare her for what it was actually like to face down a... well... semi-real duelist. She tried her best, but in the end she wasn't fast enough, and her mouth opened to cry out as she watched the blade connect with her body. Only for no sound to come out. All memories of her current situation fading into the void as she was made to watch- no, live out the events of the duelist's last moments. Sad, cold, and... entirely unexpected.
It took her a few moments to blink back into reality. Her sense of self had started to recover mid-vision but her senses weren't fully her own again right away. Her first movement was a strong shiver running all the way down her spine, a cold sweat breaking across her skin. She found herself somewhere between white-knuckle-gripping the saya and hilt and at the same time moments from dropping it, and it wasn't until she both heard and registered her companions' comments that she finally returned to reality, pulling her arms around her for a bit of warmth. "S-ss...? A-ah, right. Ahem. A-all in a day's work. That, um. We should move on. I'd say we've about enough daylight to explore the immediate area around the other side of the river before and head back to the inn."
She nodded sagely and walked over to the awestruck Tsuyoshi to hand him back his katana, before giving Rakurai a comforting, warming pat-hug and mounting to start her mental mapping of the rest of this area. Though she paused once they'd stepped foot off the bridge. "Did... did either of you see that vision? Of the ghost's... death?"
[Vitals
Void Points: 0/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Attack Stance, ATN 20]
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 4:43 pm
Tsuyoshi approached, though he seemed uneasy to take more than a few steps onto the bridge at first, looking curiously at the Miya's strange demeanor, after such a fine strike. She shook it off and again commanded her imperious bearings shortly, and he took the sword, putting it by his side again and nodding enthusiastically to her suggestion. "Of course, Miya-sama!" He almost bounced to, ready to forge ahead, but paused awkwardly as the others collected themselves and approached so they could all leave together. After all, he was supposed to explore, but that wouldn't help her make the map if he got off ahead and did it alone.
"Vision?" He questioned as they walked. "Well, I saw it's... re-death, but not any vision. Are you well, Miya-sama?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:03 pm
Paidi tou Selini "S-ss...? A-ah, right. Ahem. A-all in a day's work. That, um. We should move on. I'd say we've about enough daylight to explore the immediate area around the other side of the river before and head back to the inn."She nodded sagely and walked over to the awestruck Tsuyoshi to hand him back his katana, before giving Rakurai a comforting, warming pat-hug and mounting to start her mental mapping of the rest of this area. Though she paused once they'd stepped foot off the bridge. (Confirmation received from player that 'stepped foot off the bridge' means the far, unexplored side.) When Ayame and the others would go to the far side of the bridge (with no sign of the ghost this time), they would see several items on the ground near the foot of the bridge. Not in the way, but off of where it met the road. Small ornamental displays and items left behind. There seemed to be very few of them, and those organic in nature (ikebana arrangements) have all wilted. A TN 15 Intelligence/Theology roll would indicate that these were offerings left, presumably to the Ghost of Iaido Bridge. As a reminder, you've reached the northeast corner of the province. If you are going to continue exploring, I will need a direction; if you wish to stay here for a bit, that works too.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 8:24 pm
After the excitement of the duel's ending Chiharu nodded to the Miya:
—No vision, Miya-sama.
But that made the shugenja worried, was the spirit still arround?
Chiharu would clap 3 times and start a brief, and traditional, funeral prayer. In a very ritualistic manner her words meant to guide the spirit to the proper after life, even if there was no the body left to burn.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:13 pm
GustyFox But that made the shugenja worried, was the spirit still arround? Chiharu would clap 3 times and start a brief, and traditional, funeral prayer. In a very ritualistic manner her words meant to guide the spirit to the proper after life, even if there was no the body left to burn. Rain Yupa @ Chiharu:
You do not know this spirit exactly, per se. You've of course heard of "the ghost of Iaido Bridge", though it's more of a Kakita tale. Examining it, it does seem that the ghost was not from recent history - the style of dress and mon upon its ectoplasmic kimono are obviously dated. From a few centuries ago, maybe? It's hard to place without a history roll. But your knowledge of this specific type of spirit has escaped you, beyond the fact that it's obviously a ghost. A combination of your Theology roll, plus your earlier Lore: Crane Clan roll, both sync up. This bridge ghost has been around a long time, and the offerings seem to verify that. It is highly unlikely this spirit has been "put to rest" so easily. You suspect it might be momentarily appeased, at best. Still, might not be a bad idea to offer it some prayers of praise for not killing your imperial.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 6:00 pm
Chiharu would produce a small statue of Benten out of her backpack.
She knee next to the other offerings praying, offering the gift to the spirit, and surely thankful for the unharmed Miya.
After the prayer she stands up, cleaning her kimono with her hands and ready to follow.
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Paidi tou Selini rolled 4 10-sided dice:
8, 1, 8, 6
Total: 23 (4-40)
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:16 pm
"Mm. Unharmed, in any case. Just... very cold. There is no warmth in death. I believe when I touched him, he showed me a vision of how he died. Assassinated, though it was impossible to tell by whom. I suspect entirely impossible to investigate now, given there's no way to tell how long ago that was. Whoever murdered him is likely long dead himself." she responded idly as she looked around the rest of the province, taking all the sights into her perfect memory. "I'll be honest, I had expected it to be more... duel-related, given his apparent 'duty' in the afterlife."
She gave her own respects at the memorial sight, understanding if not necessarily the theology behind it, then certainly the reason it was set up, if everyone who dueled him was shown that vision. But she would not linger in the region overlong, nor did she suggest they move on to the next. It was time to go back to the inn and get a good night's sleep, and so unless objections were raised, that was exactly where she guided the group.
[Intelligence/Theology (untrained) 4k4 vs. TN 15
Roll: 8, 1, 8, 6 = 23]
[Vitals
Void Points: 0/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Attack Stance, ATN 20]
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:30 pm
Question for the players:
I can see you considering this location either "passed" (you take it as an obstacle at face value that you've cleared) or "WIP" (in case you want to put more effort into investigating it). What do you consider it?
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:56 am
Rain Yupa Question for the players: I can see you considering this location either "passed" (you take it as an obstacle at face value that you've cleared) or "WIP" (in case you want to put more effort into investigating it). What do you consider it? If there is any chance to free the spirit of the bridge: WIP. But I mostly agree with Ayame, the assassin should be dead already, and if we can't do nothing about the spirit: Passed
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:06 pm
(Considering its significance to the Kakita and the political snafu it would cause if Ayame tried to send the spirit off to the afterlife... Passed. >> )
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:58 pm
@ Chiharu: It's not a simple single-round action or anything, but as a Shugenja/priestess, you are equipped (at least as far as training and magical prowess) to send his soul to the afterlife before he's ready to move on on his own. However, so would any other shugenja. The fact that no one else has yet might mean your Clan is desiring to keep him around as a tourist attraction symbol of Crane grace and honor. Since I believe Psychofish is on a fishcation, he will abstain and relent to returning to Benten's Fune. -------------------- Quote: A bridgekeeper who's toll is a duel. -Paidi tou Selini Your sixth area has been solved, and everyone earns 1 XP! The XP logs have been updated. I did not note any glory changes for this area. As a reminder, you are responsible for reporting your own honor changes. -------------------- Returning to the sake house, the peasant would be seen stooping down behind the far counter, the clicking of tiles heard as he was picking up his mess from earlier. Noticing you, he stands up once more. "Welcome back, most noble Miya-sama, Crane-samas," he would greet cheerfully.
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:15 pm
"Good to be back. It has been quite a long, eventful day. I am going to retire for the evening and trace the areas we've explored onto parchment. Please see that my horse is made comfortable for the evening, at least as much as your facilities allow. If you don't have a stables he should be fine with a long lead on a tree, as long as there's suitable grass to snack on." she instructed, before stretching tiredly and heading in the direction of the rooms unless stopped.
[Vitals
Void Points: 0/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Attack Stance, ATN 20]
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:13 pm
Chiharu would bow in farewell to the Miya once she announced she would rest.
Turning her attention back to the shopp keeper she would ask:
—Is everything fine around here? I see the members of the Scorpion clan seem to have resumed their travel.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:18 am
"Hai, Miya-sama," the shopkeep would respond, bowing respectfully. "We have a roofed area out back for horses. We even have a horse blanket we can utilize to help keep your steed warm for the night. It is just me here, so I apologize we don't have a proper stable-hand."
After Ayame left but before he could relocate the horse, the shopkeeper would turn to Chiharu. "Yes, Doji-sama, on both counts. The Scorpion left the same time you did, but other than that, there is nothing to report. You are all the first visitors so far this year, and I've only seen Scorpion pass by here on one other occasion, a few years before the war, when I first started manning this sake house after my predecessor."
He would bow his head to Chiharu. "Is there something you would like me to keep alert for, Doji-sama?"
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