L5R Storytime thread: A Stonewall has been repaired edition

last thread found here I've recovered (more or less) from my infection and am ready to get back to posting at my usual pace.

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>Naomi insisted on seeing us off, though she needed a cane to walk herself to the front door
>I didn't bother asking if she would be alright without me.
>She'd say yes
>So I let her be brave and kept the worried look off my face until I had turned around to leave.
>It was only then that I noticed Monkey had a black eye
>How'd that happen?
>The last time you were alone with Naomi, I tried roughoushing with your kids the way you do.
>Yeah? Which one did it?
>He looked at me levely
>Your daughter
>Caught me with her heel
>I turned back and shouted
>DAIKO! GOOD WORK!
>Mantis-san chuckled
>We headed off to the lands of the Lion.
>We took a boat up the coast, then hopped to a smaller vessel to sail up the River of the Hour of the Wolf and into the lands of the Kitsu
>We disembarked, and asked around for news.
>Monkey filled us in on what he had heard from the peasants while we were shopping.
>Seems like a few temples have been sacked recently. Lot of dead monks.
>Kitsuki-san grunted in mild surpise
>They've never done that before...
>He frowned then
>or have they...?
>What do you mean?
>He held up a finger while nibbling his fan
>Ooohhhh. Oh!
>OF COURSE!
>Kitsuki-san slapped his palm to his forehead
>I tapped my foot impatiently
>They HAVE taken out temples before, but the strife and rebellions were used to cover up the real cause of it!
>So, what then? This cell is waging war against the Brotherhood?
>Hrmm. Difficult to say. I would think they're just eliminating the most spiritual aware, in the area, making it less likely someone will recognize them for what they are.
>But it could also be the opening movements of some long term strategy I've yet to work out...
>Well, whatever they're planing won't matter once we bring the Emperors' wrath down upon them.
>That is very true, Mantis-san.
>Well then, shall we get going in the morning?
>Uh, where too Kitsuki-san?
>Shimoda village, obviously. Didn't you learn about the Kitsu?
>Mantis-san shook his head
>oh.

Hey Ishigaki. I only just caught up with the happenings now. My grandfather died on the 27th, late in the night, so I haven't been reading this. He liked it, a bit, when I told him of it, especially your descriptions of the babies.

Under the auspices of the Minor Clan Alliance, this is is now a Minor Clan thread.

>Best minor clan
>Worst minor clan
>Homebrew minor clan
>Minor clan stories
>Minor clan campaigns
>po' ass sparrow

Going by the story, Monkey takes best minor clan by far.

Second City campaign spoilers ahoy

>GM1 runs Second City boxed set campaign
>handful of deaths along the way
>players finally make it to final showdown with Chonitsu
>fail hard, more deaths, rakshasa succeeds with plot to open the rainbow wall and free tiger demon bros
>GM1 steps down, player becomes GM2
>Surviving samurai [Yoritomo Courtier, Dragon Void Shugenja, Spider Necromancer, Moto Bushi] are sealed in the rainbow wall prison themselves, now barred from Ningen-do and trapped in the Spirit Realms
>escape into Realm of Mischief, free trapped kenku-bro, fucked with by trickster spirits, kappa, befriend neko spirit, convince great oruchi to ferry them to Realm of Animals in his mouth
>Chikushudo, kitsune goddess troubled, shrines of the 4 elements desecrated by rakshasa and throwing realm into disarray
>tsunami, earthquakes, angry kami, animal spirit senate seceding from Tengoku, etc.
>Fix shrines and set things in order, scale massive mountain in center of the realm.
>Sleeping dragon at the top, cannot be woken. Trapped in realm of Dreams by rakshasa.
>Samurai enter the dragon's dream, fight tainted dream spirits, ask for aid from nezumi ratbros, find dream walking Order of the Moth monks to assist, beat minor rakshasa's ass. >Free dragon from slumber.

This continues through the Miedo, realms of slaughter and hungry dread, until they get to Yomi to chill with ancestors, find out rakshasa are trying to throw the Spirit Realms out of balance and obliterate rokugan. Do you want to know more?

>Well, there was a Kitsu that came through intent on investigating some violence at area temples.
>Now that I know it's the cell, we'll just follow after him
>And he And he was headed to a village called Shimoda.
>We were able to get to Shimoda village with no issue.
>We walked inside and looked around
>Fairly standard farming village. Small river, rice paddies, a cluster of huts around a central square. A mill with a waterwheel down the river a ways and a forest to the north.
>And we received the fairly standard greeting from peasants to samurai they did not know
>Everyone shut themselves up in their houses and waited for the elder to come out and see what we wanted.
>I was told that it was polite to do so. Samurai should interact with thier social inferiors as little as possible, and sending out the person of the greatest status, even if that person is still just a peasant, showed proper respect.
>I wondered if, like so many things that was what was just what was said
>And that the reality was that in case what we wanted was blood, well...he was going to die soon anyway.
>And if we wanted more blood than he had, he'd at least buy time for the rest to scatter.
>A small figure appeared in the door of a house
>he wobbled out, leaning heavily on a stick
>His hands shook with palsy, and his back was bent over nearly double
>I leaned over to Kitsuki-san and whispered
>What would be more unseemly? us rushing to meet with a peasant, or us dying of old age before he manages to walk all the way over here?
>Kitsuki-san shot me a glare
>The former, obviously.
>We outrank him. He must come to us. That is the proper order of things.
>Mantis-san joined in.
>Yeah, but there are always exceptions. And the fact that Toshiro could beat this guy in a foot race seems like a pretty big exception to me.
>Monkey had a huge smile plastered on his face
>You should relax Mantis-san. And try to smile a bit.
>Huh?
>Look at where we are
>He looked around. So did I

>Best minor clan
Tied between Badger and Monkey

>Worst minor clan
Tied between Oriole and Centipede

Well, Thank you. I'm glad I could add a few smiles at the end of his time. You had time to ready yourself, I hope.

We didn't. He had always bounced back. Always. He had his first heart attack over thirty years ago, and he just plugged through everything, no matter how likely he was to die. It... kind of made us believe, at least subconsciously, that the tough old coot was immortal.

I have no idea on what the proper protocol is for saying this to a stranger, but I want to tell you that empathize with your loss and I hope your mourning is quick but meaningful. May you live a long life, user.

Thank you. You are truly kind. All of his (and probably him) are just glad his greatest fear wasn't realized.

>I don't get it, what am I supposed to be seeing?
>We're right smack in the middle of the village.
>Where the most people can see and hear us
>Oh, he was right. Windows and doors were cracked all over.
>So we stay here. And speak loudly Kituski-san.
>If you don't he'll just pretend he's going deaf as well until you're loud enough the others can hear.
>Kitsuki-san looked over at Monkey.
>Acutally, all we're here for is the whearabouts of the Kitsu that was coming here. Why don't you do the talking, Monkey?
>Me?
>You seem to be more at ease with peasants than the rest of us combined.
>He shrugged. Yeah, okay.
>oi
>Mantis-san got our attention
>I think he died...
>No wait, he just took another step.
>I looked at the old man.
>he'd made it about half way to us.
>Toshiro rolled his eyes
>When the old man finally got to us he tried to fall into a dogeza
>Monkey stopped him
>Oi, oi, we'll never get you back on your feet if you do that, gramps!
>It's fine, really! You've been bowing to us this whole time! Look, you're still bowing!
>The old man smiled, pulling thin lips back from bare gums
>The doors opened up and the peasants came out now to give us all their greetings.
>And just like that, Monkey had put the whole village at ease.
>Gramps spoke up as everyone who wasn't infirm with age bowed to us
>What can this one do for you, great samurai?
>We'd heard about a Kitsu who was coming here, did he arrive?
>Ah, yes yes! He is here still, great samurai!
>Come, I will take you to him!
>I prayed that the Kitsu was staying in on of the near buildings.
>He was, as it turned out. The grandest hut in the village
>Monkey whispered to us all
>That's probably gramps' house. All the other villagers would take care of it for gramps, and when samurai show up and stay gramps gives up his place and stays with another family.
>Gramps entered the house.
>Ryoji-sama! There are other samurai here to see you!
>There are? Send them in then
>We filed on in

>Oh my.
>So many clans?
>Gramps introduced us
>Great saumurai, this is Kitsu Ryoji-sama.
>A few peasant girls brought out tea and bowls of rice for us
>Maybe gramps took so long to give the rice time to cook...
>Grettings Kitsu Rjoji. I am Kitsuki Takeshi, and these are Tsuruchi Daigo, Toku Satoshit, Hida Ishigaki, and Kuni Toshiro.
>Toshiro held out his jade magistrate chop for the Kitsu to inspect
>Ah! Then you're here about the temples?
>Indeed we are Kitsu-san
>Good, good. The mess between the Mantis and the Phoenix has ignited tempers across the Empire it seems. The Lion are haveing their armies drill along the Scorpion borders right now as a show of force, and can't be bothered to look into a 'matter for the brotherhood'
>He sighed.
>Of all the great clans, it was the Lion who had the most antagonistic view monks.
>This was complicated in the extreme by their loyalty and adherence to tradition.
>Hantei himself had acknowledged the wisdom of Shinsei.
>And monks held a respected, even honored, place in society despite not being samurai themselves
>And yet, alone of all the Kami, Akodo did not recive wisdom from Shinsei.
>Instead, as Shiba recorded the conversation between Hantei and Shinsei, Akodo grew more and more agitated.
>Finaly he spit upon the floor.
>Hantei confronted his brother immediately, demanding to know why Akodo had insulted the little master so.
>For his way is not my way, Akodo said
>The founder of the Lion clan held up his blade
>THIS is my way!
>Shinsei responded
>it is not my, but the way of the world
>Akodo would not have it. He refused to have his followers learn the Tao of Shinsei
>Hantei countermanded his brother, decreeing that every Lion dojo would hold a copy of the Tao.
>Akodo agreed to his Emperor's demand.
>And to this day, a copy of the Tao of Shinsei sits in a place of honor in every Lion dojo.
>Unopened, and unread.
>For the most part, that is as far as the Lion dislike of monks goes.
>for the most part

>Toku Satoshit
*snrk*

Oh yeah, been meaning to ask: in 4ed as an Isawa School shugenja do you still need to take the advantage to cast void spells if void is your affinity?

Yes

>And yet, alone of all the Kami, Akodo did not recive wisdom from Shinsei.
I don't remember. What wisdom did Doji, Shinjo, and Shiba receive?

"Be a dick to everyone", "Road trips are great", and "Wizards, no sense of right and wrong" in that order. :V

Yup. Sounds 'bout right.

Shinsei explained to Doji that every snoflake was unique and special, and it's like would never be seen again. Just like people. Then he pointed to a snowdrift.

Aside from Shiba being the one to transcribe the Tao of Shinsei, it was Shinsei who told Shiba how to that trick where his soul reincarnates again inside a new host memories intact. Every Pheonix Clan champion, with the exception of Akune, has carried the Soul of Shiba. As I understand it it's more like being the Avatar then having Shiba running around with your body. The latter bit was Togashi's thing, he would transplant his souls through his magic tattoo's into comparable vessels because one of the black scrolls was hidden INSIDE his heart and his mortal body just wouldn't live forever. So I guess the lucky monk literally got Togashi's heart and soul

And whatever Shinsei taught Shinjo hardly matters because shit just goes in one ear and the out the other with that dumb bitch.

>Aside from Shiba being the one to transcribe the Tao of Shinsei, it was Shinsei who told Shiba how to that trick where his soul reincarnates again inside a new host memories intact.
That was something he was taught, but his wisdom was that Shiba could not see Rokugan as a mortal does.

>Shiba as a god considered all the deeds and words only the present, past, or future, while mortals would see the events he lived through as history taught, and lessons learned. Shinsei transmited Shiba that he could not appreciate history, because Shiba would live forever. Through Shinsei, Shiba learned how the lives of the mortals were linked to the divine. Shiba became a devout follower of Shinsei.

...

>Best minor clan
I second Badger and Monkey. Sparrows are cool too

Ox a best
Kolat did nothing wrong

What the fuck's a Kolat.

Buggers what want to rid the world of supernatural influences

Damn straight.

This sounds about right

What's sparrow like?

If you're bitter and spiteful, it probably looks spot on.

>A few days later, a rainstorm hits us hard
>We rush to find shelter
>There, that should be useful
>A large, old temple of the Ivory Kingdoms
>Now in ruins, covered by vegetation, half crumbled
>Still, looks stable enough that we don't have to camp under the rain
>Togashi-san looks entranced by the sight of the temple
>I knew she had a fascination with holy sites
>But seeing it up close was somewhat uncomfortable
>Like she could barely take her eyes off of it
>As we get off Jimbo to make camp, she starts wandering inside
>I call to her, to help get the camp set up here
>She ignores me, starts wandering into the temple
>I have half a mind to just let her go, get her fill, and get back
>But it's not safe so deep in the jungle to wander off completely by yourself
>Especially as a fellow mainlander
>Putting my armor down, I follow her slowly, not wanting to interrupt her
>She stares wide-eyed at the architecture
>Daidoji-san and Tsuruchi-san put down our things and start following as well
>Daigotsu-san and Kitsune-san take a moment for themselves, from what it seems
>I barely notice them as Togashi-san enters a large hall, the main chamber
>Great colums line the sides, and the room descends toward the centre of the back as one large amphitheatre
>Dominating from the centre back is a great altar, and behind it, and even greater statue
>A woman both hideous and beautiful, divine and demonic, with six slender arms holding various implements of war
>One even holding a bleeding heart
>A figure dead only a decade before my birth
>Kali-Ma
>Champion of Jigoku
>Until Daigotsu killed her in battle
>I followed halfway down the steps of the amphitheatre while Daidoji-san and Tsuruchi-san waited by the entrance
>Togashi-san approached the altar
>And from behind a pillar, a man in red robes approached Togashi-san
>Joined by the steely glint of a drawn dagger
>Togashi-san doesn't seem to notice my shout of warning
>So i rush forward, hand on my blade's hilt

Yam farmers who live in dirt poor lands right next to the richest grain fields in Rokugan.

They do story telling, humility, and long-windedness very well, but their school is intentionally the worst in 4e.

l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Sparrow_Clan

Literally "Just fuck my shit up, samurai", the clan?

No. More "pretty much Ronin," the clan.

An in setting joke is "What is the difference between a Ronin and a Sparrow? One Koku."

And for the uninformed, it's the Ronin who has the one koku.

Ox are a cool concept but executed poorly. Kolat did do nothing wrong tho...

They're the rokugani illuminati, with the goat of removing all influence both Jigoku and Tengoku have on Ningen-Do. The other spirit realms also, but they're less important.

> Kolat did do nothing wrong tho...
Kolat did nothing. End sentence. Of all the things that reduced the influence of the Heavens on Ningen-Do, literally none of them were the Kolat's doing. The very first major operation they undertook after 1000 years of existing (Handing out crystal to fight the Nothing) was also the very last thing they did, since it resulted in their cover being blown.
The Kolat claim to have an agenda, but all they really are is an old boy's club for the powerful to get more power.

>caring about L5R's shitty storyline/metaplot, and what it does to the setting's factions
you first mistake

>Kolat is basically the only true meritocracy in the entire setting, where anyone can rise up regardless of birth or station
>"just an old boy's club for the powerful to get more power"
your second mistake

Like it or not, the plot is as is. Anything else is your headcanon and yours only.

>Implying
Funny how the only people to benefit from the kolat for over 1000 years are the people in charge of the kolat, who are usually clan champions and high ranking daimyo.

Yes, and it sucks. You shoudn't use it except in the most basic, watered-down and palatable form. The only good plot in l5r is "X exists," and "X is something that happened and is necessary to play the edition of the RPG you are currently using." Basically everything else should be ignored.

Yeah, it's almost as if Samurai are educated their whole life to be badasses, so there are more likely to become badasses than non-samurai. It's almost as if the kolat is going to use its influence to put high-ranking, capable members in positions of power, like clan champion or daimyo.
Isn't that strange?

>It's almost as if the kolat is going to use its influence to put high-ranking, capable members in positions of power, like clan champion or daimyo.
Exactly my point. All they are is a power club for people in power to get their friends in power. It's cyclical, sure, but everyone in it got to the top because they were useful for someone who was at the top before them. All they do is accumulate power for themselves with an ideal to draw in the pawns.

That's how literally every organization works. If you're capable, you get promoted. If you get promoted, you have more power. It's an incentive, not a goal.

>Yes, and it sucks.
What you're offering is even worse though.

It's literally the only thing they do for centuries. They draw people into the sekrit conspiracy club so they can't squeal without hurting themselves, then promote them to have friends in power, thus empowering themselves. It's a pyramid scheme that starts with a morals based recruitment lie.

I'm not offering new lore or anything. I'll use my headcanon for my games, you use your headcanon for your games. But please don't use the established lore, because it's trash.

>It's a pyramid scheme that starts with a morals based recruitment lie.
I'm sorry, but isn't that _literally_ the entire Emerald Empire?

It's fine if you use your headcanon for your games. You just don't get to call offical lore trash when your headcanon is just as trashy.

>I'm sorry, but isn't that _literally_ the entire Emerald Empire?
No, because most of the empire is just feudal. The kolat literally run a pyramid from the temple masters on down. Nobody at the top actually wants to get anything done, because that would ruin their power base. The people at the bottom don't really understand what's going on, and the people in the middle are sucking up so that one day they can be at the top. The whole "overthrow the heavens" bull is just a good excuse as to why they should have all the power they've been idly accumulating.

What headcanon? I haven't mentioned anything yet, other than it exists.

In what world is feudalism not a pyramid scheme?!

I can guess what it is already, because you kolatfags can't play more than one tune. Feel free to post it and prove me wrong.

I actually don't have the Kolat in my games, since Jigoku and Tengoku were never as much of a problem in my headcanon as they are in the established lore. I've amalgamated the Kolat with the Gozoku to make a kind of omnipresent threat that does nefarous things for the PCs to uncover and defeat. Kinda like Bloodspeakers, but for Emeralds instead of Jades.

The only real difference in my lore is that a lot less happened during the 2nd day of thunder onwards. Yakamo and Hitomi weren't assholes, and they each fused with the obsidian and jade dragons respectively, becoming new entities; the fortunes were never kicked out of Tengoku.

Iweko dynasty never happens. Daigotsu never happens except in the background. Destroyer war does happen, however, and Spider are made a Great Clan. But, the Spider are a lot less blatantly evil in my timeline. They're loyal to the Empire, but they're still generally edgy cunts. They (incorrectly) see Fu Leng as a martyr figure who went mad while valiantly fighting against the influence of Jigoku.
Spider still use maho and embrace the taint, however; they see it as sacrificing their soul as well as their life for their duty to the emperor, and are smug about how this is a greater sacrifice than what other samurai are willing to make.

I do declare, it's time for more Ishigaki action. Sometime

>And yet, in plays and stories, it was often the Lion clan that were the ones who attacked temples and slaughtered monks.
>Many times a general would take advantage of the neutrality of monks and temples, setting up a command center for his armies inside a temple while 'praying for victory from the Fortunes/Kami/Ancestors.'
>Only for the Lion to lose their patience and assault the place.
>The Lion clan will happily endure long bloody sieges, but they really hate being held in check on a battlefield by words and custom alone.
>This situation though, allowed them to split the difference between proper behavior and their own distaste
>'For what reason do the Sohei exist, if not to protect the temples?' the Lion say, as they turn their backs to the situation.
>They point to all the duties their Clan must fulfill, downplaying the severity of the situation
>and in the midst of all this comes a lone Kitsu, a priest of the Kami, who receives his Lord's permission to go and help defend the temples
>The Lion get to say they DID send help, while the Kitsu commits not-quite-Kanshi to protest his Lord's lack of piety.
>Not-quite because he could still succeed and return alive, slim though that chance may be.
>At least, it was slim until we arrived.
>Kitsu-san spoke to Ryoji
>So then, I take it you have some idea where the next target is?
>The Lion nodded.
>It is here.
>Well, over that way, to be specific
>The Lion pointed
>Just beyond the rice paddies in that direction there is a temple.
>I'm certain the bandits will strike there.
>They will also likely attack this village for it's food stores.
>Rjoji bowed to Toshiro
>Please, Magistrate! Will you help me to defend this place?
>Toshiro nodded.
>That's what we came here to do.

At this point, it's obvious my fingers are so used to typing shit that they just have to add a t and the end of shi.

Kitsuki-san, Moshi mounds is back and she wants to talk with you about something...

>Toshiro looked over at me.
>Ishigaki-san.
>Right, on it.
>I stood up
>Ryoji-san, I need to walk the village. Can you show me where, exactly, the temple is?
>Of course
>Kitsuki-san, little help here?
>Yeah.
>So, Ryoji. Any idea when we'll be facing the bandits?
>Kitsuki-san had insisted earlier that we not bring up the fact that the 'bandits' were really just pawns of the bloodspeaker cult, if not the bloodspeakers themselves
>Against a Maho-Tsukai, surprise was valuable, even vital.
>Best to avoid any chance of them finding out the extent of our knowledge
>No, I don't
>Damn. A proper Kaiu could have turned this village into a fortress in a day. I was not a proper Kaiu.
>Sitll, even without knowing how long I had, some basic earthworks should be doable.
>Give the enemy a choice
>Go up and over mounds of loose earth, sliping and expending a lot of energy before the fight even begins, or go though narrow gaps that reduce the number of men that can fight effectively.
>I glanced at the woods. Clearly where the peasants got the wood for their homes.
>Any bamboo?
>Ryoji shook his head.
>Damn again.
>A smooth cut could leave a piece of bamboo sharp enough to pierce flesh.
>In an emergency, an entire peasant vilage could be armed with bamboo spears.
>But not if there wasn't' any bamboo around.
>linning a pit in front of the earthworks with bamboo stakes, and putting peasants with long babmoo spears on top of the earthen mounds would have made going over the earthworks go from a bad choice to a suicidal one.
>Well, there goes that idea then.
>There was a child, wodden toy clutched tightly to it's chest, staring at me.
>I scratched at my beard. I'd gotten shaggy again in on the trip here.
>We reached the temple
>it was a simple thing. Tori arch leading up to a small building with a single room.
>A place for offerings off to one side
>inside a few sticks of incense burned before a statue.
>I didn't recognize whichever ancestor of fortune it was supposed to be off.

>I grunted.
>It was a small village, but I guessed there were somewhere between one and two hundred people.
>Should be enough.
>Ryoji looked at me
>You have a plan, Hida-san?
>Yep.
>C'mon.
>We're gonna need to talk to gramps
>Once we had rejoined everyone we gathered around to disquss the plan
>Kitsuki-san, the map please.
>Ryoji looked over in surpise
>You weren't making a map.
>Kitsuki-san grinned.
>Yes I was
>And with that he produced a piece of rice paper, ink and brush.
>And mapped out the village.
>To scale.
>Kitsuki-san looked at Ryoji when he was done.
>I never forget anything.
>I...see...
>The problem is we don't know when they'll strike, or where they'll come from. We don't know if they'll attack the shrine or the village first. They might even just try to engulf it all at once. Do we even know how many there are?
>Ryoji shook his head
>Right.
>I took Kitsuki-san's brush
>sorry I have to make a mess of your nice map here
>I drew a line around the village and another around the shrine
>square, with gaps in all directions for the village
>a single gap befroe the Tori on the shrine
>Gramps, you're going to need to get every shovel in the village.
>We're going to dig a pit around it, pile up the earth and create a barrier.
>The gaps will be much more inviting, but they'll be narrow, so only a few can push in at a time.
>Come on, I'll show you what I mean
>Gramps called out for a shovel, I took it ans set to work
>digging a quick hole I piled all the earth up on one side, so that anyone aproaching the village from the outside would first hit the ditch, then have to climb up the mound
>And you want this dirt to stay loose! Don't pat it down or anything like that!
>The harder it is to find purchase in the better!
>Somone get me stick
>Someone did
>I drove the stick into the ground, and gave it a few taps with the shovel.
>Dig until the earth pile gets this high!
>It was only waist high, but I knew how big a ditch it would take to get a mound that size

>If you start to get tired, trade out!
>I know there aren't going to be enough shovels fro everyone, so keep the diggers fresh! Speed is essential, because we don't know how long we have to finish this!
>I handed off the shovel as the peasants got to work, encouraged by Monkey joining in.
>While they did that I marked out where the gaps should be, and how wide
>Toshiro, you'll need to take the shrine.
>The village is large, and we may have to run between the gaps, He nodded.
>Kitsuki-san spoke
>I can stay with him
>That will work
>Ryoji looked to Toshiro then.
>Can you not speed this up Toshiro-sama?
>I'm more of a siege engine
>Toshiro looked down at his club foot
>And about as mobile too.
>Ah.
>That left Monkey, Mantiws-san, Ryoji and myself to defend the village itself
>Along with whatever peasants could scrounge up some tools to use as weapons.
>We got into our armor and waited for the bandits to come to us.

Poor village,
Samurais defending it,
Not seven them though.

>Three more men in robes appear, from their hiding places behind columns
>They start chanting together, distinctly not in Rokugani
>One word, one name repeated over and over
>Kali-Ma
>Cultists
>And the mesmerized Togashi-san was to be their first new sacrifice
>Tsuruchi-san's arrows start flying towards them as I rush to Togashi-san's protection
>She stands, still entranced despite my shouting, in front of the altar
>The cultist silently approaching from behind
>Raising his dagger
>One of the cultists tries to intercept me
>An arrow finds its way through his throat
>Daidoji-san manages to goad the other two into attacking him, buying me more time
>But that doesn't manage to buy more time for Togashi-san
>As we hear the crack of thunder from the rainstorm, he stabs deep into Togashi-san's unprotected back
>The lightning strike lands somewhere on the temple, judging from the acompanying blast sounds
>Finally snapping out of it, realizing what's going on, she roundhouse kicks him away from the altar
>Closer to me
>I take my final steps, and unsheathe my Kakita blade in a shining arc
>The cultist is still recovering from Togashi-san's kick to even try to avoid my strike
>His back bleeding profusely, he attempts to lunge at me as well with his dagger
>I hear behind me Tsuruchi-san and Daidoji-san finishing up the remaining cultists
>Togashi-san starts looking weaker on her feet, unable to land a punch on the wounded cultist
>With a quick stab, I end the man's life
>"Is saving your life going to become a habit of mine?"
>"Here's hoping not, Kakita-san"
>She slumps down, finding it difficult to stand due to her wound
>I help her get back up to the entrance, with some help from the stronger Daidoji-san on her other side
>At least, what used to be the entrance
>The lightning strike seems to have struck there
>Blocking our way out
>We'd have to look for a different way back
>Over ruins made slippery wet by the heavy rain
>With one of us heavily wounded
>Damn it

Was it their magic or Togashi had Fascination for holy sites?

You are asking Veeky Forums if they want more stories? Of fucking course

>Of all the things that reduced the influence of the Heavens on Ningen-Do, literally none of them were the Kolat's doing.
>Anything else is your headcanon and yours only.

>implying the Kolat/Qolat have done absolutely nothing this user has not heard of
I needed that laugh, thanks mate.

Ever heard of Russel's teapot?

Ever considered not being a dick?

The infiltration of the Yasuki came after the clan wars, and that by itself proves they continued acting after the fight against the Lying Darkness. Every time their cover was blown, the Kolat let the empire at large believe they were utterly destroyed, and continued onward, infiltrating the clans and reducing the influence of the heavens on Ningen-do.

Was one of them shouting "KALI-MA!" while reaching for a heart?

Does anyone have the PDF?

So what sort of influence did their "acting" produce? Rokugan is still as religious and supernaturals still run around however they see fit, as it was before. If they even do anything besides "observe and wait for the right moment", they might as well not do that because there is no visible effect.

>The bandits took their time.
>The peasants got the ditches dug, and only an idiot would fail to realize how difficult climbing over one would be.
>even peasants with farm tools could kill idiots
>Ryoji, myself, Monkey and Mantis-san took turns on watch that night, along with several peasants
>I was standing in the north facing gap, watching the edge of the forest when some grunting and huffing caught my attention
>It was coming from further down, and I was pretty sure it was in the ditch.
>I walked around to the outside, so I could hop down in easier if it was something I needed to kill, and and headed towards the noises.
>It was a pair of kids.
>Well, young adults would be a better term. 15-20 years I'd guess.
>the loose soil of the bank had given way under their weight, sank and shifted every time they tried to find purchase, so they just kept sliding back into the ditch.
>The two were panting and gasping, clothes disheveled and slipping off.
>I could see one of them had cleavage, exposed by the shoulder of her top sliding off.
>The froze when they saw me come striding up.
>A samurai's armor does far more than stop arrows and turn aside blades
>It is a weapon, that strikes at the soul of his foes constantly.
>Many forget that. Samurai are well trained, and such an attack has little outward sign.
>Though of course, trying to get your strike past the armor and into the warrior beneath does give pause to all but the most experienced warriors.
>However, these two lovers were a clear reminder that Samurai armor is also absolutley terrifying if you're unused to it.
>A gaint in blue and black metal, holding a metal stick studded with spikes, his face an emotionless mask carved into a demonic snarl, and you can't even tell if it's a human under all that armor or not.
>I tugged a few laces and slid down my mempo.
>You two. Which side did you sneak out through.
>They just kept staring.

>So I shot the boy a grin.
>Look, I know what you're doing, and have done.
>y-y-you do, great samurai?
>Yeah. This isn't the only panting and grunting you've done tonight, right?
>the girl flushed, then realized the state of her clothing and straightened it.
>The boy broke into the half proud half embarrassed grin that you see on young men who were older boys not to long ago.
>H-hai! great samurai!
>So I want to know which dunce you snuck past, so I can find someone with beter eyesight to take over for him.
>The girl was the one who protested
>But great samurai! It's not Kodai-san's fault! He was looking where he should have been, that's why we were able to get past him!
>I gave a snort.
>Fine. You two can't think of anyone else your age dumb enough to try and sneak off when there are bandits about, can you?
>They looked at each other, then back at me and shook their heads in unison.
>Alright.
>I held out a hand to jaul them up.
>Let's get you out of there
>No go on back home.
>Explaining why look the way you look to your parents will be punishment enough for risking your lives.
>They both looked down at themselves.
>Then they bowed and took off
>The rest of the night passed without incident.
>I headed to the shrine to check on Toshiro and Kitsuki-san, to see if they saw or heard anything suspicious in the night.
>Toshiro shook his head.
>Nothing here. How about you?
>Just a couple of kids, snuck past a guard to loose their virginity in the woods.
>I chuckled.
>When they came back they realized getting in was a lot harder.
>Toshiro gave his half-snort half laugh at that.
>I returned to the main village, ate a bowl of rice, and sat down for a quick nap
>When I woke up, I decided to walk the perimeter.
>Seiges occur when an army takes up a strong defensive position, that an attacking army has no choice but to deal with.
>Even basic modifications like the simple ditch we had dug, give the defender a massive advantage in the battle ahead.

>Because an assault would be so costly, some generals took to other means of victory in a seige
>Like simply waiting for the defenders to run out of food.
>And so defenders inside fortified positions often had to deal with long periods of nothing happening, save that an enemy army was camped out on the front lawn.
>That could strain a warriors mind, make them crack under the slow, constant pressure.
>One man breaking in dramatic enough a way could cause others to follow suit.
>The attacking force had yet to show itself, but then again the defenders were not samurai
>I was pleased, but honestly not that surprised, to find the peasants bearing up well.
>It was only the second day, the defenses prepared, and there were samurai here.
>Doubtless many told themselves the bandits would move on in search of easier prey.
>Many more would be confident in an easy victory.
>Well, nothing to worry about yet. At least nothing that can be adressed with just words.
>They would need to face a real battle before they understood. Until they had that experience for themselves, they just wouldn't understand.
>They day wore on into eveneing, and after a simple meal I got a few more hours of sleep before my time to watch came.
>It was then that they came

The magnificent 5 samurai - attack 1.

Remind me, what year is in Crab's storytiem? Slightly before Colonies?

No established timeline. Not even the current dynasty is set in stone.

At least, not yet.
Right now im reading a timeline of l5r. It's very convoluted mess, especially in the end. So, in the end Rokugan fall or not?

It was originally planned for Rokugan to fall, and for a new emerald empire to be started in the colony, with the next chapter being the reconquista of rokugan. But, the company got bought out before then, so none of that shit happened.

Thank gods

>Rokugan is still as religious and supernaturals still run around however they see fit, as it was before.
That's not the case. Take a look at Rokugan in the 1100-1200s vs literally any other time period. Everything changes, women become pretty much equal with men, morals loosen, the very sun & moon are formally replaced by former mortals. Religious beliefs weaken, and the influence of the Kami on the great clans is weakened by the grip of the Kolat.

Like I said, timeline and canon in Rokugan is a convoluted mess. Especially with all this gender bending and mind fuckery

Not just Fascination, he took as many points in it he could, leading to a ridiculously high TN for our insight rank
He thought it wouldn't appear that much in-game
He must have skipped the part where everyone has a shrine or a temple everywhere
And our ST really loved using our backstories and disadvantages as plot hooks
Unfortunately, only in my headcanon

w/e. I think you just don't want to work in good faith to show you were wrong.

Crane best clan

Crane a shit.

a shit indeed!

Yet everybody want fuck them. Everybody knows the best girl is a Monkey!

I wish the Crab and the Scorpion got along better. One is external security, the other is internal. Sure, wildly different work environments but they both cannot accept failure because that'd mean the end of the Empire.

So, here is my attempt to contribute.

Here is headcannon of girlfriend's cons from Great Clans:
Crane
>High standards and even higher maintenance
>Will cuck you with everybody, and make you content with it.
>She does everything better than you and constantly remind you about it.

Crab
>Hick.
>Not cares about anything but fights
>Paranoid about taint and will kill anyone with even slightest hint of it.

Lion
>Will never, ever, love you.
>For her, you're a soldier on a platoon, not a person.
>Proud, stubborn and brags about it.

Mantis
>She see you as a walking wallet
>Nouveau riche in bad sense
>Reckless

Scorpion
>Her family is much important for her than you.
>Stalker, and have at least three plans how to murder you
>The mask stays on, always.

Phoenix
>Secretive Hypocrite
>If you are not shugenja, you are shit in her eyes.
>Will subtly manipulate you with her "momma knows best" attitude.

Dragon
>Would prefer seeking Enlightenment than you.
>Even more secretive than a Phoenix
>You will never, ever truly understand what the fuck she said.

Unicorn
>If you are not a horse, she will neglect you.
>Shameless gaijinboo.
>Naive and oblivious as fuck.

>Lion
>Will never, ever, love you.
>For her, you're a soldier on a platoon, not a person.
>Proud, stubborn and brags about it.
I prefer the 1e Lion women writeup.

>Where most women walk, these women stride. Where women should blush and smile, they are silent and stare at you with the most unnerving gaze.

Not only your headcannon, I did make one of them invoke her name while striking Togashi.

>Scorpion
>Internal security
>Organized Gozoku
>Attempted Scorpion Coup
>Weren't even a threat to Kolat until the war with Lying Darkness

The fact that you did not start with or even include pros does not elude me.

well, duh. It is a list of cons, after all. Why should i include a pros in cons list?

Why would you limit it to cons only or start with cons in the first place?

Implying any of them have pros when your marriage was arranged by your parents for their financial and political gain

Blissfull Betrothal is a thing you know.

In my headcanon the Scorpion quietly respect the Crab and give them preferential treatment in their political manipulations, second to the Dragon. The Crab for their part naturally hate the Scorpions for being sneaky cowards, and the Scorpion wouldn't have it any other way.

And literally none of it is the Kolat's doing.
Women and men being equal is literally a metachange based entirely on edition (See also: An entire page explaining what they changed, why, and how to change it back if you want), morals don't actually change much, the sun and moon being replaced by mortals were singular events that no one except fate itself planned for. Religious beliefs change, in that extra gods are added and Rokugan is forced to admit that there are foreign gods at all, and the influence of the Kami is exactly the same as always, as shown by Shinjo showing up and having everyone trip over themselves just to kiss her feet.

They tend to get along very well when the shit hits the fan. Its when they're idle that they go at each other's throats.

Flipping through way of the Scorpion this is pretty much true. The antagaonizm between the two clans is due largely to the fact that the Crab have no respect for the way Scorpion do things. And of course, the fact that the Scorpion are deliberately playing the villan to focus ire on themselves so that fewer people get upset with the ruling dynasty is one of those big secrets no one outside of the Scorpion, Otomo, and the Emperor themselves would know.

Since you can't suggest that any Clan is anything less then a perfectly loyal servant of the Emperor without having every bushi in said clan burying your lord in a flood of challange letters for you, the reality of Emprie, of having to pit the Clans against one another so that no one Clan can build up enough power to stage a coup is a big ass secret.

The difference is that everyone knows what the Crab do, they just ignore how vital that is when it's convenient. Which, thanks to the Crane, Scoropion and Otomo, is most of the time. Whereas is people knew what the Scorpion were really up to, it'd make it a million times harder. Everyone knows that the Scorpion clan knows your dirty little secret and will blackmail you to get what they want. Everyone knows that if you fuck with a Scorpion, know mater how personal the issue is, the rest of the Clan will jump all over you. What NO ONE knows is what the hell the Scorpion are actually trying to accomplish at any given time. Because sometimes the Clan looses on purpose, while still achieving their goal. Scorpion have mastered the fine art of granting their foes pyrich victories. The fact that Scorpions are willing to die on the orders of their superiors no questions asked is understandable, the fact that they're willing to throw away their glory and die in apparent shame is just unthinkable.

>I got my first clue that something was amiss when a giant flaming comet raced through the sky to explode among silhouetted people over by where the shrine was
>Subtle, sure, but I was still fairly certain it meant the bandits had arrived
>Sure enough, as soon as that happened the bandits that had been crawling on the ground towards the village stood up, making their presence obvious
>It's good that I'm so observant. I'm make a piss poor sentry if an army of bandits could crawl up a hundred yards on top of me without me noticing ANYTHING.
>Well, it's on now.
>I yelled for one of the peasants standing watch to go rouse the village, and he took off
>We had worked out a specific rythm to beat the alarm stick with so that everyone would know where the bandits were.
>I listened. Two sides, mine and Ryoji's.
>And the shrine.
>Peasants quickly flooded the mound, and none of the bandits tried to brave it.
>Good.
>I plugged up the gap with my armored bulk and waved the first bandits forward.
>In the gap they could only fight me three at a time.
>If I stepped back, it would only be one or two bandits figting inside the gap, with myself and few others fighting them
>I didn't step back for two reasons. First, it would be eaiser for them to try and slip past me, second three on one against bandits was no big deal.
>For me, anyway
>They came and I played whack-a-bandit, smashing any that dared to pop his head up
>The corpses piled quickly at my feet.
>they fell back from me quickly once it became aparant that wasn't going to work.
>At first I thought they may try to go around to another side.
>Instead several dozen stepped up and drew back on bows.
>Oh those fuckers.
>I turned to the side, tucking down my head behind my sode as they loosed
>Arrows peppered me from head to toe
>I straightened up, my left side a pincushion, and shattered the shafts sticking out of my armor with one downward sweep of my tetsubo.

>I rolled my left arm around in a wide circle, letting them know if that was their plan they were going to need a LOT more arrows.
>You okay?
>Monkey
>And Mantis-san was right behind him
>Yeah, I'm fine. None of them really got through.
>Why are you both here?
>Ryoji's got his side covered.
>Yeah, he's using his magic to strengthen the peasants. Hell, I think they're doing better than you are!
>Okay then.
>I stepped back.
>I'll give those bandits credit, they were braver than I thought.
>Stupider too.
>They tried again
>Bandits with polearms came out to the fore
>two with yari rushed into the gap, their shoulders touching
>They couldn't move very well, but their plan was to use their weapons length to push us back so their fellows could get inside
>Sadly for them, two bandits were no match for the three of us.
>after the third try I yelled at them
>OOI! It's getting a bit... corpsey around here. Hard to fight properly. Why don't a few of you get over here and drag your buddies clear? Go on, we'll wait.
>The bandits ran away instead.
>Monkey looked over at me.
>You've got to teach me that trick.
>Wouldn't work for you Monkey.
>I looked aside at him.
>You couldn't be scary if your life depended on it.
>I can too!
>Really? Okay then, scare the next child you see.
>What, NO! That's just mean, why would I do that?
>See?
>What?
>The first step to being scary is convincing other people you'll do shit so horrible they can't even imagine it.
>If you can't actually be cruel, you can't be scary.
>Bullshit, I've seen you scare people by being calm all the time!
>No, see that only works on cowards. And it's not really being scary, it's just convincing the coward they don't have the upper hand.
>oh.
>Mantis-san chuckled.
>Trust a Crab to be able to deliver a lecture on the finer points of intimidation...
>I looked at him evenly.
>Damn straight.