L5R - Cartographers - Crane Lands, Ezura Province

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

“Wait, That be the curse?.” Gahl raised his club and rested it on his shoulder. “By it being Crane castle, and Crane lands, by default it is Crane’s. Abandoned or not. You were the defenders here, Lit’l one. I, the invader.” Picking his nose with his free hand, the Crab would add “Simply saying it is mine, doesn’t make it so. By your logic… If I claimed to be the Son of Heaven, would that make me him?”

“If you wanted to take the castle...” Gahl pointed with his freed nose finger at the castle, “You should at least enter the castle’s war room. Less this was just a sumai match, between three bushi, with a spectator.”  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"Perhaps. Or perhaps them acting under my 'orders' now makes this a Miya castle regardless of the affiliation of the attackers or defenders. Or perhaps since there were no armies involved it didn't make a lick of difference either way. Pedantic speculation does us little good, my only objective was to see if something supernatural would happen. I presumed you laid claim to this castle in jest to begin with. Or at least, I'm willing to wager you don't have Hida Koun's blessing to start a war with the Crane." she concluded with an imperious nod and stepping away from Tsuyoshi, back to her pony.

"If you want to explore the castle so badly, I won't stop you. I myself will examine around the walls to get a sketch of its size, but do be careful if you really intend to go inside. This place hasn't been on a map in... centuries. There's a real possibility it's no longer structurally sound." And with that she mounted and trotted off to get a look around the outside, and then inside of the walls to see what there may be to be seen.


[Vitals
Void Points: 1/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Defense Stance, ATN 24]  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

“That either makes you; one dedicated mapmaker, or your predecessors were lacking” Gahl stated simply, “If you say, your not going to run off. I am first going to check the armory and barracks, They are the most likely spots where squatters would hold up, or at least hold something to date how long this place was abandon.”... or something to fight and kill  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Ayame: Since you're not actively mapping and merely... er... imprinting?... no real roll is needed, unless you want to give one for another reason.

@ Gahl, Tsuyoshi, Chiharu (if her player comes back suddenly): What are you doing in the interim?

Also, don't forget about honor gains/losses! You guys are responsible for announcing those.  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"Oh, Koun-dono's blessing wouldn't matter in this case, Reiha-dono now is Champion of the Crab. For dishonor and chaos, the destruction of the wall caused, Hida Koun was granted an honorable last wish, to reclaim one's honor in battle."

With that said, Hida Gahl turned and walked towards the armory, as he started to before the birdmen wanted to fight.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Tsuyoshi (and maybe Chiharu):

The Crab's about to start scavenging a Crane castle for Crane equipment! You have until tonight to post if you want to try to deny/oppose that action.

If you're cool with it, then let me know what you're doing instead.  

[Psychofish]

Tsuyoshi frowned deeply at the Crab's declaration of going off to look at the armories and barracks... but after some reflection, he decided it reflected well on no one to harp on about telling him not to nick anything, and his offer of trying to recover a bit of lost history or clear out any unwelcome occupants was a service to the Crane.

Besides, he'd wrestled well against Tsuyoshi's grabs. Despite his initial impression, that earned him a few points in the trustworthy category in the magistrate's book.

While it might have been interesting to look around, with as many surprises as they'd had lately he decided to stay within sight of Ayame instead- it wouldn't do to have her left to defend herself in anything but another duel- any opponent seeking that of her was already doomed.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Tsuyoshi, Chiharu, Ayame:

You relent and let the Crab wander off to explore the Shiro's grounds untethered. Chiharu looks like she is about to verbally protest, but when she sees Tsuyoshi be dismissive towards the matter, she decides against speaking and idles quietly.

He disappears out of sight. Nothing else happens.

@ Gahl:

You start poking around the side buildings, looking for anything interesting. You soon find what appears to be the Crane armory. Time to loot!

Ignoring the questionable behavior of doing so if you WERE so inclined, the only kinds of equipment you can find can be categorized into 1 of 2 different types: Rusted/useless/broken, or missing because it's already been stolen/looted.

The whole place is dusty, to the point where there isn't even footprints in the dust. It was likely ransacked decades before you were even born.

If you keep giving a casual once-over for the general premises, you find similar signs of abandonment. Definitely a fixer-upper.  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

“Thought as much, Leave it to a Crane not to care for their own things,” Hida said, as he looked upon the monstrosity that would make a Kaiu faint. Cursed or not, this was unacceptable. And, it didn’t fill him with any sense of glee to see the discarded gear, only added to the feeling of not being able to find a usable map in the main building.. or anything useful for that matter.

Kicking a few of the items about, Hida looked for something that required the least amount of repair, or at the very least wouldn’t give him Tetanus.

Investigation/Perception 3k3 Untrained  

[Rain Yupa]

It will take a few minutes to search, but Gahl is unable to find anything he would ever be confident bringing into battle.  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

In case if no one else wishes to post, The large man grabbed one of the slags and leaves the building as quickly as he came. Returning to the Birdmen, “I doubt any smith could do much to salvage your equipment.” tossing the ex-weapon on the ground. “Given the rust and dust inside the armory, I would say no one has been on the grounds for at least a generation or two. I doubt the barracks would hold any different clues. So, if you want to join me, I am going to enter the castle next. If not, the glory will be mine alone.”

(Possible alternative story, Tsuyoshi’s grandfather entered the grounds prior to his dereliction of duty and took the curse with him.

Just a funny thought I had.

Either way last chance before an adventure into the creepy cursed castle... Gahl is going to have to find a magistrate to ask him, how to go about claiming land that no one wants... If the castle is cursed, I am sure it would be a simple matter to demo it and make a small farming village. I am sure the inn keep would admire the increase in foot traffic, and local economy)  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"Oh! Well that's... unfortunate, though understandable. The war changed so much across our lands. All the more reason this mission is held to task." she responded to the change in Crab leadership news, before they went their separate ways.

And with neither task being all that eventful, she reconvened back at the castle gates when all was said and done, looking at the structure with mixed feelings. "Well... here is a place untouched by the war, at least. A relic of the ancient past. The more I recall the maps I remember seeing it on, the more I come to realize, it hasn't moved at all. I guess seeing a ghost can cause one to start jumping to all sorts of elaborate conclusions when the simple ones are often the most salient. Within these soils rests the blood of Crane, Lion, Scorpion, and who knows what other soldiers. This castle simply conquered and reconquered so many times its removal from the maps could very well have been deliberate. I'll bring it up with Domotai when we return, see if the Doji have any records on hand. Till then, I consider our work done here."

"Hida-san... I have a proposition." she began, pulling out her fan and thoughtfully tapping her chin with it. "You need to get to Kyuden Suzume, yes? My mission will take me there. I would like to conscript you as a bodyguard until then. It will take a bit longer than if you headed straight there from here, obviously, but it would also guarantee you do not get lost again."


[Vitals
Void Points: 1/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Defense Stance, ATN 24]  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"Wouldn't altering an imperial record be a dishonorable offense?" Hida voiced, it seemed kind of low to erase all record of a place. Just because, people died there and no one could hold it for long The Crab have died and lost part of the Kaiu Kabe(in a fiery explosion), but it wasn't erased from a map...

But, murder, death, kill, the castle... "Quantity over quality, Lit'l one?" he asked jokingly, before bowing to the small imperial in acceptance, without a word more.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Ayame gave another thoughtful fan tap, before shaking her head. "These are the Imperial maps, of which I am referring to. Whatever agreement was made that got this place removed, it came with the authorization of at least an Emerald Magistrate."

'If any such agreement was made at all...' was the thought she kept to herself, acknowledging that it could have simply been a clerical error while at the same time refusing to admit such a fault of her predecessors. Though she quirked a brow at his followup question, the other furrowing ever so slightly. "Quality? I'm mapping the Empire, not the architecture of each individual building. You may venture inside if you wish, but I'm waiting outside if you do. As I said before, it's quite likely empty and falling apart. Do be careful not to fall through the floor if you decide to venture far, big one."


[Vitals
Void Points: 1/2
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Defense Stance, ATN 24]  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"I was referring to the number of guards..." Placing his hand on the back of his head, Gahl let a nervous laugh.

"... As a yojimbo, I am duty bound to stay by your side, and can't rightfully leave it for any reason. So, lets just speak nothing more of it, or the castle.... Where's the next stop then?"