L5R Storytime thread: A Rolling Stonewall Gathers No Moss Editiion

So was I actually right when I was paranoid and said that it was Hohiro the whole time?

Maybe? Nothing is proven at all and he's now the Master of Earth so they must tread carefully

bump

>Under sensei's watchfull eyes I mastered his final lesson
>The Crab are the Wall.
>In a multi-clan force, the Crab stood at the vangaurd.
>At the head of any Crab Vangaurd, the Defenders would be there.
>Now I would be at the head of the Defenders.
>First into battle, Last to leave.
>A small ceremony was held, to commemorate the completion of this stage of my training.
>To my surprise, Naomi came to attend.
>As did Toshiro, and all of my children.
>I found keeping the stupid grin off my face the hardest thing I had to do, as Kojiro-sensei formally recognized me.
>When the ceremony was over, he came to meet my family.
>Daiko and Tetsute both looked up at him with wide eyes
>Here was a man their mighty father showed great deference too.
>They had never met someone like that before
>Well, will you two one day come to study under me, as you father did?
>A pair of HAI!'s ecchoed in unison.
>Naomi was so proud of me she didn't even flinch at that thought.
>Toshiro slapped my back.
>Heard you've got a retirement plan now.
>I snorted.
>Not for some time yet, I think. I've still got plenty of years of active service before I need to settle in as a sensei. And much more to learn yet.
>Kojiro-sensei nodded.
>Indeed. Do not every be satisfied with yourself.
>With that we all returned to Ishigaki Mura.
>So, how did things go for you, Toshiro?
>He grinned at me.
>And pulled a small shard of crystal out.
>Is that...?
>Yes, it's spirit is awake.
>So you're a crystal master?
>Oh no... I just have some awakened crystal.
>But in recognition of everything Sensei called in several favors.
>He patted his scroll satchel
>Got a few new ones to go with this crystal.
>Naomi looked at his satchel.
>My word, Toshiro, you've got quite the library there, don't you?
>So, while I had been reaching new heights, Toshiro had reached new breadth.
>I wondered how if any of the others had learned something new.
>We spent the winter togother, Toshiro, myself and my family.

>A pair of HAI!'s ecchoed in unison.
They are just too cute. I bet they will become great samurai!

>During the winter, Ishigaki Mura grew again, as the Sake works went up.
>I met with the master brewer, a man named Rikuchi.
>He was newly risen to the title, and thanked me profusely for the opportunity to open his own brewery.
>I waved him off, and directed his thanks to Naomi.
>I just couldn't bring myself to take credit for something I didn't do.
>She then had to wave him off before he gave himself a concussion trying to go through all his thanks again.
>Look, don't worry about all that Rikuchi. Just make me some damn fine Sake
>HAI, Great Samurai! I will indeed!
>One day I shall surpass my own master!
>Good. Do that.
>With the addition of the brewery, a few homes began to spring up.
>After more than a decade, life had at last returned to Ishigaki Mura
>As Naomi breathed life back into my childhood home, so to did she breath life into Tsuyosa.
>He still coughed, from time to time, and tired more quickly than his siblings did at that age.
>But his coughs were almost afterthoughts, and he never once had a serious fit like Naomi had.
>Daiko marked her fourth birthday.
>Children have very little expectation placed upon them, save to obey their parents commands.
>At some point between the age of eight and tweleve a child enters into the dojo and begins their formal education.
>However, some instruction is carried out in the home, such as literacy, basic mathmatics, and of course plenty of theology.
>For her birthday, Naomi got Daiko a caligraphy set.
>Tetsute fussed that he wanted one as well
>You know, it's not as fun as you might think. It's just so she can practice writting, like your mother does.
>Yes! I can too! I can!
>I rubbed his head and grinned.
>So competitive, that one.
>Children are always in a hurry to grow up, adults often wish to be children again.
>Enjoy this time while you can, Tetsute. It well end eventually, and you'll find yourself missing it at times.
>He blinked up at me
>were you ever a child papa?
>Hah! Of course I was!

>And you miss it?
>Sometimes I do. There are many burdens adults must bear, and they can grow quite heavy at times.
>But you're the strongest person ever!
>I hugged him then.
>I am only strong becasue I want to protect you. You, your sister, your brother, and your mother.
>He hugged me back
>I know papa will always keep me safe!
>Yes, I will.
>Daiko jumped into the hug as well
>One day I'll be big enough to protect you daddy!
>I had to swallow a lump in my throat.
>It took a few swallows but I got it down far enough I could answer her
>I know you will sweety. I'll be waiting for that day.
>As winter rolled into spring we had a Mochi pounding festival
>The workers for the sake works had brought along their families, of course.
>There were now five children in Ishigaki Mura, aside from my own little brood
>I took part, pounding that rice into a nice gooey paste with all my might as the village cheered me on
>color was added, making the mochi a light pink, to match the sakura blosoms and the mochi was filled with sweet bean paste
>As Naomi and Toshiro led the village in the proper observances, we welcomed the turning of the seasons with a great celebration of life.
>Several days latter, a messenger came, with a reminder to us all that the way of the warrior is the way of death.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

I bet it's again Shoji, demanding. Or his wife, pleading to help his husband, who fucked up again.

Or I hope it's nothing to do with him. Just good old "go to the capital city, someone important than you needs a meatshield"

One of your guesses is correct. I'll let you all know which one with my first post tommorow. But it's like three in the damn morning right now.

The cliffhanger force is strong in this one.

>One day I'll be big enough to protect you, daddy!
I'm seeing a tall woman with broad shoulders and muscles like wrought iron, with a big, cheerful smile on her face as she's crushing skulls with her tetsubo. In court, she's curious and straightforward, and radiates a warm kindness that melts hearts left and right.

Just don't talk shit about her papa, not without an expert water shugenja nearby.

Her brother will be always a problem magnet with competitive attitude. He can became cocky, reckless and totally always dueling with someone. He can either become a high-ranked samurai, or constant shame of his own family.

And a little one... Well, he is full of DETERMINATION. Not even sickness cannot stop him. Truly, a son of the Wall. But it's too early to talk about him, he is a toddler right now.

>little one
Ha! That one ends up growing close to 7 feet tall and gentle as the east wind. A strong one too, even if he's a little sick. He's living proof to the strength of Water Shugenja.

Some good news

After several months hiatus, we'll be picking up our game again finally via Roll20

Tsuruchi-san was the one who was unable to play for quite a while due to distance, but we've finally remembered that that's why Roll20 exists

Also been reminded of the chapter titles by my GM:

Prologue: A Test of Strength (the Topaz Championship)
Chapter 1: Sweet and Rotten tastes Corruption (the investigation in Tsuma)
Chapter 2: The Colour of Blood (the investigation in Second City and our fight with the maho-tsukai)
Chapter 3: Strings and Puppets

He has taken great delight in watching me try to figure out what the titles hint at the start of each, because I'm too genre savvy for my own good

I've retold Daikakita-san's tale up until the end of Chapter 2 now, then follows a brief interlude before the Summer Court, the setting for Chapter 3
Gonna try and get as close to finished in this thread, before Ishigaki-san reaches his own crescendo

>I realize my duty takes precedence over my personal feelings to the Spider
>Might as well get some work done while I'm recovering
>There's an archivist at this outpost, mostly busy acting as postmaster, and making sure missives to the outpost commander are stored properly
>Maybe he might be able to help with the cipher
>Apprehensive as I might be about asking the aid of a Spider
>"Excuse me, Crane-san, but I am very busy"
>"As am I
>I require your aid in an Imperial investigation"
>"Oh? How so?"
>"What can you tell me of Spider ciphers?"
>"Why should I share Clan secrets with a Crane?"
>I show him the cipher, making sure it does not leave my hands
>"I am investigating the drug Sweet Dreams
>By imperial decree, as though I were and Emerald Magistrate
>This document was found with the creator of this drug
>A Chuda, who gave me my wounds"
>The archivist hesitates for a moment
>"I heard about that little incident
>My condolences
>Unfortunately, I cannot help you
>This cipher seems older, and it looks familiar, but it's not one I recognize"
>I thank the archivist, cursing myself inwardly for wasting both our times
>It was high time to leave this damnable jungle

Welcome back Crane-san!

I guess they all three correct: "Shoji fucked up and now we have to babysit him in Capital city, because his wife plead us doing do."

bumpo

Your honorless bump
Shames your entire family
Commit seppuku

...

Crab slips towards end
an ignoble, unwanted last state
I bump with haiku

fuck me, middle line is eight syllables. Should've done the shakespeare thing.

As penitence, noble anons, I offer the story of a still ongoing L5R campaign. The tale of Hiruma Shenzi, an Invinda Crab in Naishou Province, if you are willing to hear it.

Get on with it.

>100 years ago, the Destroyer War erupted.
>The population of the Ivory Kingdoms was devastated, nine in every ten killed, worse amongst the Kshatriyas and the Brahmin, the ruling castes of the Kingdoms.
>Rokugan, too, was mauled by the iron monsters rampaging across their lands. They were forced to accept the Spider as a Minor Clan before the end of the war.
>In its aftermath there was a great colonization effort, and a declaration by the Empress Iweko I that the conquered peoples of the Ivory Kingdom were now part of the celestial order. A command that was less than popular with many.
>A former Kshatriya named Ramachandra Pandava came to Rokugan during this time.
>At a mere 16 years of age he had survived the Destroyer War and took the 20 Goblin Winter, becoming one of many Kshatriyas who would join the Crab, Mantis, and Unicorn in the immediate aftermath of the war.
>100 years later Hiruma Shenzi, his eldest grandchild prepared for her Gempukku
>It was the first time she would see the mainland of Rokugan. She had been born in the Second City, raised there among Invinda Samurai, and clung fiercely to her culture. Rokugan, the Wall, the Shadowlands, all of them were far away, alien things.
>Things that she would very quickly have to learn to deal with.

>The horrors of the shadowlands were not quite something she had internalized. She had heard the stories, of course. Her mother and father had both been through their Gempukkus in the Shadowlands, as had many of the other Invinda in the Second City, and horror stories abounded
>But as their boat came into view of the wall Shenzi was excited. Ecstatic even.
>In a few short weeks she would officially be a samurai, a Kshatriya warrior in truth, and none would be able to deny it. And after that, glory would surely follow.
>She had interrogated her mother and much of the crab crew thoroughly about what she should expect, and while all were evasive about the nature of the Gempukku all emphasized the horrific nature of the Shadowlands.
>Or, in the case of some of the crewmembers, asked about what the hell was up with her use of Invinda honorifics
>The wall itself was an awe-inspiring sight, and several times Shenzi had to be reminded to sit down, or that they were about to pass something important, as they traveled along it.
>News reached them of several skirmishes while they traveled, but nothing serious impeded their journey.
>Soon enough they reached a checkpoint along the wall. The other Invinda who had come with her stayed behind as she was briefed on her mission and given supplies.
>She had seven days of rations and a finger of jade, and with them was to reach Shinsei's Last Hope alive and then return home.
>She nodded, sure that this would be no problem for one such as her.
>She almost immediately realized her mistake.
>Lesson Number One about the Shadowlands: The Shadowlands are fucking miserable.
>Even when nothing is trying to kill you or trying to hunt you the land was actively hostile and aggressively barren.
>She lucked out on the first night and found a safe place to sleep, a trio of deep gouges in the ground where some monstrous beast had clawed it.
>During the night she was tormented by nightmares.

>A burning village. Invinda being dragged along the ground by robed cultists, shoved, screaming, into constructions of twisted, banded iron
>The screaming only intensified as they were entombed and tortured
>It was the death of the Invinda people, a scene that had been repeated across cities, villages, and fortresses. The death of a nation, chosen to torment her during her stay in the Shadowlands.
>And then she awoke to a voice yelling "Beti! Wake up!"
>She shot up, one hand went to her Tulwar, the other went to her quiver.
>Standing, no, hovering above her was a ghostly figure, an elderly Invinda man in armor.
>"Beti, you need to wake up!"
>"Hiruma-Sahib, Do I-"
>Wait.
>"-Did I, uh, know you?"
>"What, did your mother not tell you about your own grandfather?"
>What.
>The ghost explains that he is Hiruma Ramachandra, her grandfather on her mother's side and is here to watch over her
>Which, naturally, brings up the question of 'why'
>He explains that he was in Yomi, surrounded by angry Rokugani ghosts.
>He doesn't actually know what's going on here more than she does. He does, however, ask why she's in the shadowlands.
>"It's my Gempukku, grandfather."
>"Oh good. You're doing alright despite being half-peasant."
>Shenzi, due to a minor miracle, manages to keep a straight face as her grandfather launches into a rant about how her father is the son of a jumped up peasant and clearly unworthy of Ramachandra's darling daughter and how dare she marry him the moment he got himself killed.
>Shenzi, naturally, knew none of this beforehand and rather liked her father.
>She had a sinking feeling that this would not be the first time something like this was going to happen.
>With some cajoling she managed to get him to shut the fuck up and let her get some sleep.
>In the morning she awoke in a cold sweat, convinced that this place had a will and that that will was vile and needed to be stabbed in the face repeatedly.
>Her theory was confirmed when the forest showed up.

>The forest had definitely not been on the horizon last night, or even when she woke up, yet as dawn broke it was definitely there
>A great, triangular sea of treas, stretching off into the horizon, directly between her and Shinsei's Last Hope.
>She decided that the delay of going around would be much more palatable than whatever the hell was in the trees, and so gave it a nice, wide berth of some two hundred feet.
>Naturally, some hours into her travel, she learned that two hundred feet was not quite a wide enough berth.
>A swarm of angry, screaming, flying creatures the size of a raven streaked out of the forest, clawing at her before she could react.
>They were Hanemuri. A minor shadowlands creatures, opportunistic carnivores. Fragile, but incredibly swift.
>They fell quickly, albeit not before dealing her some minor scratches
>As the last of the Hanemuri swung to attack a samurai emerged from the forest at a dead sprint. It knocked the Hanemuri out of the air and began to viciously stab its corpse while cursing loudly.
>Probably a Hida
>"Samurai-san, though I must thank you for killing the Hanemuri I believe that it is dead."
>The samurai realized I was there and turned around, revealing his mon and face.
>Daigotsu. A Spider.
>He looked over the field, surveying the dead Hanemuri and Shenzi, before settling with being impressed.
>Shenzi, for her part, watched him closely, her tulwar still not sheathed. The Spider were if anything more reviled by many of the Invinda than they were by the Rokugani.
>The Spider had been hunting in the forest for some time and was aggressively lost. The rest of his squad got killed fighting their prey, and the Hanemuri had stolen his supplies in the aftermath.
>He claimed that Shenzi seemed strong, and asked if she'd be up for completing the hunt.
>Shenzi was inclined to simply leave him to rot, but asked for the nature of the his quarry out of curiosity.
>Destroyers.
>And that changed things.

>A rider, with an honor gaurd of Imperial Legionares, AND a Crab patrol came up to the house
>A young woman, unarmored, rode in the center of the formation.
>She tipped back her jingasa and looked around.
>Sniffed when she saw the armed peasants, but said nothing.
>I am here to speak to Hida Naomi, or Hida Toshiro.
>I peered at her Kimono, trying to spot the mon.
>Seven crecent moons, surrounding a concentric circle
>oh. Oh shit.
>I bowed deeply
>They are inside, Miya-sama
>I turned and went inside while the Miya woman got down off her horse
>Toshiro! Naomi! Important visitor!
>I heard the thumpdraging of Toshiro heading to the room we used for meeting with guests
>Shino ran up
>How improtant
>I whispered
>a Miya
>he blanched.
>I'll see to the children
>Please do.
>The Miya came in behind me, looking around in surpise at the various bits of art on the walls
>My wife has an eye for art
>I see.
>This is the home of Hida Naomi, correct?
>Hai, Miya-sama
>Then that would make you Hida Ishigaki.
>Hai, Miya-sama
>I was surpised that a Miya would know who I was.
>It wasn't like I was very high ranked or anything.
>I brought her to the room where Toshiro and Naomi were waiting, and a servant brought out some tea
>Everyone bowed their greetings
>Since I knew two of the people in the room introductions fell to me
>Hida Naomi, Kuni Toshiro, this is Miya...
>Sakurai.
>I heard that neither of you attended any of the winter courts this year
>Naomi answered
>That is true Miya-sama. I had to rest for health reasons.
>I see.
>You are recovered now, though?
>Hai.
>Good.
>She sipped her tea
>As you are all Crabs I will get straight to the point.
>The war last year between the Mantis and Phoenix has not died down.
>It has, in fact, grown larger.
>All the Clans that have been providing assistance to one side or the other are now joining in in full.
>Naomi's eyes widened

Oh, sweet, Ishigaki's back. Back to waiting for me, then.

>Ordinarily inter-clan conflict of such scale would not be allowed.
>However, the partiicpants do not all join in the war directly.
>Rather, the allies of the Phoenix make war on the allies of the Mantis, and vice versa
>The Crane and Scorpion were at each other's throats all winter. It was quite...messy.
>The Lion were going to war on the Scorpion, but the Dragon declared they would war on the Lion.
>So the Crane have entreated the Crab to make war on the Scorpion instead.
>I take it you have not heard any of this yet.
>Toshiro spoke
>No, we have been away from the affairs of the world.
>Naomi-san was resting, while I was tending to the kami in the wastes.
>Sakurai nodded
>Well. Since we all understand the reasons behind this war the Imperial Observes will be out in force
>She looked down, eyes closed.
>This summer will be one of the bloodiest in centuries, and the Emperor's eyes and ears will ensure the conflict grows no farther than it is now.
>Otomo Jun will be overseeing the war between Crab and Scorpion
>She paused.
>Otomo Jun-sama's yojimbo was murders. He had protected her for over ten years.
>We determined he was slain by Maho.
>Ahh. Now it becomes clear.
>The Jade Champion reports his servants have been encountering Maho-Tsukai at an alarming rate these last few years.
>Many Magistrates have died or gone missing as well.
>This then is your task.
>You will protect Otomo Jun from the maho-tsukai, and keep a close eye out for maho use in this war.
>Toshiro nodded.
>I take it the life of the Observer is the most important of the two.
>Obviously.
>You have both a Mantis and a Dragon in your service, do you not?
>Yes, Miya-sama
>And you can all place your duty to the Emperor above your loyalty to your own Clans?
>Of course Miya-sama
>Good.
>Miya Sakurai produced a map
>You will await Otomo Jun-sama here.
>Tsuyosa began to cry about then
>Ah! Please, excuse me!

Hey Crane-san. Some time ago Togashi-san's player requested her portrait in the drawthread. I picked it up, then ended up dropping it, but then I picked it up again.
I don't think the requester even watches the drawthreads, so I'll post it here. Please accept my humble efforts.

>Crap vs Scorp war
>Imperial overseer's retinue threatened by maho.

Holy shit what a fucking powder keg. The Scorpion will assume the Crab did it, because the use of maho would point to the Clan most closely tied to the Shadowlands. The Crab will assume the Scorpion did it, because, well. It's an assassination.

>Crab family Jade Magistrates sent into the middle of the war to poke around

This can ONLY end well.

>Sakurai looked at Naomi.
>You have a child?
>I have three, Miya-sama. But I gave birth at end of summer
>Ah. So you will need a wet nurse then.
>Naomi bit her lip.
>hai. It is as you say, Miya-sama. A war is no place for an infant...
>I spoke out of turn.
>Does it have to be both of them?
>Do you really need two jade magistrates
>Sakurai glared at me, then sniffed dismissively
>Come now, is this really an issue?
>Many children have wet nurses.
>She turned away and sipped her tea, letting me know she considered the matter closed
>bitch.
>I left before I said something I shouldn't and joined Naomi
>She was nursing Tsuyosa, smiling. But her eyes were narrowed just a bit, a tightness in the corners.
>...Now I must abandon him while he is still nursing?
>I sat down and put an arm around her shoulder
>That's a bit much, don't you think?
>it IS about time to start giving him solid food Naomi.
>yes but...
>There weren't really words for this situation.
>These were moments you didn't get back. that you couldn't relive.
>Naomi treasured each second she spent with the children, and the time she spent nursing was some of the most precious
>I didn't understand why that was, but I knew how serene and happy Naomi looked when she fed our children.
>While it was true Tsuyosa should be getting his first taste of real food soon, he'd still be nursing on and off for another six months, at least...
>Nana One-eye opened the door to room just a crack
>Forgive my intursion, Great Samurai.
>I just heard
>I glanced to Naomi, who nodded
>Come on in, Nana.
>Thank you, Great Samurai.
>You know you do not have to call us that, right?
>Though I am trully blessed to have such kind masters, I would not wish to be spoiled so much I forget my place before another Samurai.
>Fair enough.
>Great Samurai, I have just learned that I will be having my second grandchild come fall.
>Oh? Well, congratulations are in order
>Thank you Great Samurai.

>Naomi closed her eyes.
>So...Akiko then?
>Nana One-Eye bowed her head and said nothing
>Hmm. Yes, if Akiko is willing to this for me, for us.
>She would be honored Great Samurai.
>I know how dificult it can be to give your child up for another woman to feed, so I hopped that at least she not be a stranger to you.
>Thank you Nana, for your consideration.
>Tsuyosa let go, nuzzled against Naomi's chest, and fell asleep.
>Nana One-Eye bowed and left us
>I gave Naomi a few soothing backrubs before heading back out.
>I was, on paper at least, the master of this house.
>I should see my guest off.
>Miya Sakurai was already heading towards the door, having finished giving Toshiro the particulars.
>You will not need to contact the rest of your Yoriki, that has been handled.
>You will all meet at the designated place
>Do your best in service to the Emperor.
>She mounted up and rode off with her honor guard
>How long until we have to leave, Toshiro?
>he frowned.
>A month. Jun-sama wants to oversee the mustering as well as the fighting.
>Damn.
>Ishigaki... There's going to be Scorpion everywhere.
>Yeah. I know.
>I HAD accidentally foiled a Scorpion plot.
>So I would need to be very, very careful.
>
>Furthermore,Amano's cousin had said, though not in so many words, that he would kill me if he had the chance.
>It was unlikely that I would run into that specific Bayushi in the midst of a war though...right?

I'm sorry to disrupt storytime but I ask here because I think here I'll more people that could help me. Basically, I'm going to join a 4e game already underway, the other characters are rank 3 by now and the GM graciously allowed me to join with a rank 3 pc. I was thinking about taking out of retirement an old character of mine, basically a Hida bushi that managed to become a Sumai Wrestler before shit went south and lost face. Then the campaign stopped and never started again due to conflicting schedules. I loved playing that character, which was a Hida bushi 1/ Crab Sumai Wrestler 1, and since I never played monks (and the GM allowed it) I was thinking of taking the Forced Retirement disadvantage in order to make him a Hida Bushi 1/ Crab Sumai Wrestler 1/ Osano-Wo Monk 1, but my brain seems to freeze because I don't understand how that disadvantage works.
Does that PC keeps the techniques and katas he learned before becoming a monk? Does he need to have skill ranks in the new monk school he wishes to join? Does he learn the 3 Kihos monks get when they start? Do disadvanteges not really applicable (like Bad Fortune - Secret Love) remain (and if so, inactive or not) or they get erased (since he would become a monk, there's no political marriage to sabotage, for example)? What happens to his equipment?

You'd keep your old techniques and skills, but equipment would be determined by the GM.

I agree with .

A Monk can still have Bad Fortune (Secret Love) you just need to talk to your GM about the Yandere in love with you and what he or she is capable of.

Oh you poor, naive Crab.
Believe me, if you become an enemy with an NPC, it WILL reappear and try to fuck up your shit.

>Otomo Jun's Yojimbo was murdered by a Maho Tsukai
Of course he was. Probably because Otomo Jun IS a Maho Tsukai.

On the horizon
Page Nine looms in the distance
Crab's thread cannot die

...

Someone reversed the colors.

Those are actually fairly good

>After a tearful goodbye to the children, we set out.
>There was no city or village where we were going.
>Just a seemingly random spot on edge of the Crab lands, by the Shinomen mori
>It would be the staging area where the army was setting up, preparing to head north, some by river, others skirting the edges of the Crane lands
>We were met by a patrol well in advance of the camp.
>Toshiro and Naomi showed their magistrates chops and explained why we were here
>The patrol led us in straight away
>And we found ourselves meeting with Hida Touka, the current general of the Army of the East, and Otomo Jun, who wielded the authority of the Emperor to decide the winner and the looser of the war.
>Akodo himself once said, "Protracted war serves no one"
>Armies require food, and wise generals feed their soldiers with their enemies rice
>Sometimes the Lion can be goaded into rash, reckless destruction.
>So can the Crab, for that matter. Rare indeed is the time when the Damned are set loose upon fellow Rokugani, but such times are always horrifying to all.
>Shugenja can reshape the very land for generations, or even eternity.
>Scorpion are well known to be sore loosers, and often take great pains to ensure that that any foe that routs them from a battlefield will find naught but ashes for their victory feast
>This then, is why the Imperial Observers exist.
>While the Emperor would no doubt prefer his servants not spill each others blood, were he to forbid war between the clans completely the most militant clans would protest loudly.
>Quite possibly with their massive, well trained armies.
>So the Emperor settles for ensuring that the Clans harm one another, but do little harm to his lands in the process.
>It is uncommon, but not unheard off, for an Imperial Observer to find that that one Clan or another has gone to far, and judge them the looser of a war even if they had emerged victorious in every battle.

>Does that PC keeps the techniques and katas he learned before becoming a monk?
Only 2e has rules for removing your pre-monk techniques, etc.

> Does he need to have skill ranks in the new monk school he wishes to join?
It's a decent table rule to require 1 rank in the new school's school skills.

>Does he learn the 3 Kihos monks get when they start?
That's what happens when you begin the game as a monk. Otherwise you get 2 kiho per rank.

>Do disadvantages not really applicable (like Bad Fortune - Secret Love) remain (and if so, inactive or not) or they get erased (since he would become a monk, there's no political marriage to sabotage, for example)?
You can buy them off or keep them.

>What happens to his equipment?
You shave your head and give up all worldly possessions, in exchange for;

>Bo (or pair of jo)
>Coarse & Plain Travelling Clothing
>Scroll Satchel with passages from the Tao
>2 zeni

>Only 2e has rules for removing your pre-monk techniques, etc.
Gah. Every time. I meant The Way Of Shinsei.

>Many of the stories of such events often involved the Scorpion with the Lion or Crab the ones being judged
>Would that be the strategy of the Scorpion this time though?
>Strange though it was, the Crane Clan was on the side of the Crab in this war.
>No doubt the Daidoji had supplied information to the Crab already, and of course, the Crane stood by with supplies ready should the Crab need them.
>It must be odd for Touka-sama, to plan a war where logistics can be a secondary concern for once.
>Kitsuki-san, Mantis-san and Monkey joined us and introductions were made
>Otomo Jun opened without preamble.
>I am certain it has been made clear to you all before, but I will say this again.
>You are all agents of the Emperor here, and he is impartial in the outcome of this war. You will not aid your Clan, nor the allies of you Clan. Nor will you hinder the enemies of your Clan. Is that clear?
>She was an older woman, and her face had many sharp angles to it.
>It went along well with her tone.
>Now then. Hida Touka-san, you were explaining the force being mustered here
>Hai, Otomo Jun-san.
>The Scorpion will face a single Claw of the Crab, so as to limit the scale of conflict.
>A Claw was what we called our regiments. Other clans used the term legion.
>Roughly five thousand troops
>Jun nodded her understanding as a scribe wrote furiously to keep track of the converesation.
>The scribe himself had two assistants, one to replace his current paper when needed and the other to take the filled paper to dry and be stored for later entry into the imperial histories
>His calligraphy was much more beautiful than mine, even writing at such speed.
>As expected of an Imperial scribe
>The core of our force is, of course, two Brigades worth of Hida heavy infantry. Among them the first and second companies of the Second Regiment.
>My eyebrows vanished into my hairline when I heard that. He was bringing in BOTH companies of Hida Elite Guard?

>The Elite Guard were some of the finest of the Crab Clan, trusted with serving as the honor guard of the Clan Champion.
>They were easily on par with the Defenders of the Wall such as myself.
>While Defenders would be expected to face worse odds than most of the Elite Guard, we were trained as specialists.
>The Elite Guard were more adaptable, and thus deployed more frequently.
>The Army of the East, as the Army whose primary duty was to stand watch over the Crab's borders with the rest of the Empire, had very little in the way of our Clan's best troops.
>The First and Second were the best of the Army of the East.
>Furthermore, that only accounted for two thousand soldiers.
>A full regiment had five.
>We also have the fourth company from the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth regiments.
>Again, Touka surpised me. Those were the Falcon's Strike.
>He had called up every single dedicated unit of elite archers in the Army of the East.
>We will, of course, have six squads of Engineers, and a Brigade of the the Yasuki House Guard from the ninth regiment
>SIX? That's a full troop, maybe more!
>Each regiment only had a two squads as part of the reserve company.
>The Yasuki House Gaurd were however, not the best of soldiers, They gaurded caravans mostly.
>So he would be using them to watch our supply lines.
>The rest of the force is drawn from the Hiruma.
>You say that the core of your army is the Hida heavy infantry, but are they not only two fifths of your army?
>Well, yes. They are not the most numerous, but I will say my soldiers will be worth more than the Scorpion we face.
>Oh.
>oooooooh.
>I had been beginning to see Touka's strategy, now I was certain of it.
>As I mentioned, everyone knows the Scorpion Clan absolutely refuses to loose with grace.
>Touka's plan then, was to minimize the damage to his own force, to keep them from forcing those almost loses and empty victories.

Scorpies really are sore losers. Search your riceballs for ninjas more thoroughly, Crab! And for poison.

The scorpion aren't sore losers, per-se. They just see victory as meaning "make the other guy lose."

Yeah, I read a Shouting Lion speeches about armies and wars with other clans. Good shit.
And that's why they gonna deal with damn ninjas, ninjas everywhere in most unexpected places. Like riceballs.

Wonderful, thank you very much kind sirs.

im actually togashi san.
you actually drew it!! jesus thanks lad. i was at work when requested and didn't check the thread again.
I give you 5 internet points and a good crane/dragon hug

thanks for delivering and really good art! you nailed it!

A question about L5R 4e: do shugenja jave any way to get more spells aside from progressing in the school ranks?

>Since spells are just scrolls with prayers on them, they can get new spells whenever the GM decides they should recive them.

The two most common in game are as a rewards for a job well done, and as a more mechanical McGuffin for when needed.

The first is pretty self explanatory, when a bushi would recive a new weapon or suit of armor from his lord, a Shugenja would get a new spell instead.

The second was covered in depth in Walking the Way, the first ed spell sourcebook. Some examples would be a Shugenja reciveing Fist of Ososn-Wo (big ass AOE spell, casting it is almost always considered an act of war) because the Clan is going to war, or in Toshiro's case "Some Maho-Tuskia have a spell that stops Jade magic, here have a Crystal spell in case you run into one"

The truth is MOST Shugenja will have more than the base alotment, but it's also assumed that when a Shugenja ranks up they pick out their own spells, wheras the extras are wholly GM's discretion.

Spell research, importuning, convincing your superiors that you require X spell for your current duties, even stealing / decyphering another shugenja's scrolls if you're dishonourable enough.

That looks very good, drawfriend.

I like you as a person.

>A few more days, and I am well enough to leave
>We're offered the protection of a supply train that is returning to Second City to restock
>Safety in numbers, after all
>And I was still in no condition to face what we had encountered on our way here
>Daigotsu-san and Kitsune-san join us as well
>They need to report back at the Explorer's Guild on what happened
>The trip back fortunately goes without too much happening
>I try but fail to practice my writing during this calm
>plenty of fire Kami with the candles and campfires to help me hide my shame
>Talk fold what happened was avoided
>The memory of the maho-tsukai wasn't a pleasant one
>And there was nothing that we could do about the investigation right now
>Conversations turned to more happy topics
>Such as the ever-nearing marriage between Daigotsu-San and Kitsune-san
>They were still too busy with their respective duties to have gone through the ceremony, but it was planned for end of summer
>Meanwhile, Tsuruchi-san and Daidoji-san snickered amongst themselves over lewd comments on their closeness while still being unmarried
>At least, I assumed as much
>I didn't bother listening to such a low form of humour
>I told the lovestruck couple that once the Crane embassy knew of their aid in my investigation, Doji Tatsuki would surely send them a gift for the marriage ceremony, once the time arrives
>That was one thing I was looking forward to, despite everything
>Getting to see Doji Tatsuki again
>I do hope she enjoyed the haiku I left her as a gift
>It had been one of my best until now
>Kitsune-san especially expresses her gratitude for my kind words
>And I can't help but notice a warm, friendly smile from Daigotsu-san
>Nothing else particularly major happens on our journey back
>Finally, we arrive, and say our goodbyes
>I somehow get a feeling that Daigotsu-san says his with more of a sense of friendship than I thought had been attained
>Did I really leave that much of an impact on him?

That is really good, actually
Makes me a bit tempted to ask for one of Daikakita-san, even
Won't, though, because this isn't a drawthread

I fixed this screencap.
The last lines were cut before.
Thanks user who saw.

I made a few more.
Because I had the time to.
Trying to catch up.

Over thirty pics.
It seems so ridiculous,
or tl;dr.

Like a teasing crab,
stopping at a cliffhanger,
just because I can.

You're doing Heaven's work. Surely, you will travel to the Blessed Ancestors, once you depart from Ningen-do

Well, he's not probably a samurai so sucks to be him.

Why wouldn't he be?

I picture him like an Ikoma Bard desu senpai

Is he a lifetime servant to a lord, raised as a warrior? I doubt that.

Spotted the newfag.

Has Veeky Forums l5r fallen into cliquish faggotry?

Wouldn't be surprised if it had. right now everything's up in the air until the lore for the FFG stuff comes out. Until then, the only thing we can agree on is that Spider suck and Crab are great.

>double tetsubo
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>Not gifting the second tetsubo to that little girl
>Not using it in her place until she grows strong enough to do it herself

Writing a haiku
Is easier said than done
Practice makes perfect

When you next time,
Bitch about bumping haiku,
Remember its hard.

I have never once
Complained about a haiku
I'm just a newbie

Lion is love, Lion is life

Looking at the L5R books and stories, it sometimes seems slightly uneven in how clans are depicted. Can someone highlight the positives of each clan?
Crabs seem to be depicted as generally no nonsense, rude, but to the point and based around fighting the outer enemy that everyone hates. It's hard to hate the crab

Cranes just seem to be the punching bag here. Artistic, polite, but politically motivated and sneaky, almost scorpion like

Dragons seem almost ignoreable

Lion is full of war like, aggressive members. Where is the balance?

Scorpions are said to be the honourless clan, but most stories seem to involve them doing it for some higher purpose.

Phoenix and unicorn, I don't have a strong opinion of, but the main thing is, sometimes I get the feeling crane and lion are caricatured so hard that it is difficult to emphathise

Phoenix are wizards. And you know what they say about wizards don't you?

>no sense of right or wrong

And unicorn are filthy Gaijin with no honor.

Blame the bad authors on that. For some reason, the Matsu stereotype has spilled over into the other families, even though the Akodos are mean to be very calm and calculating. The Mantis clan had it even worse with making everything Yoritomo flavored.

>Crabs
>no nonsense

Nah, they are one of the most nonsensical clan out there. They do understand action-and-consequence stuff better than the other clans, but they also tend to do exactly nothing with it or pull the wrong conclusion.
>Daemons tear you apart if you approach them with your sword
>Recognize it, but choose to use huge maces instead of not approaching those things in the first place

It's hard to avoid things when your job is literally to stand still and stop them from moving past. If the Crab didn't fight the demons, they'd either be running (And therefore failing), or letting themselves be slaughtered (And therefore failing) and the Clan wouldn't last a decade from its inception.

>What are ranged weapons

The conflict between doing what is Honorable, doing what is Right, and doing what will Work is at the heart of Legend of the Five Rings.

Most of the clans tell people that doing the Honorable thing IS doing the Right thing, no matter what it looks like.

The Scorpion say that doing what will Work IS what is Right and Honorable.

For example, imagine that the daimyo of a major city was an immoral and incompetent person whose personal failings were harming the health of the city, but was not actually committing crimes. Standard Rokugani ethics dictate that no one under him in the Celestial Order has any right to question him, so he stays in power unless his superiors remove him, which they aren't doing unless he fucks up in a dramatic enough for them to notice.

Let's say a group of Buke samurai notice this problem and want to do something about it. The Honorable thing to do is to do nothing, accept your place in the Celestial order, and trust that everything will turn out alright in the end. The Right thing to do is probably to start making a stink about it to other people, and bring the attention of the damiyo's superiors onto the city in the hopes that they recognize the issues present, which risks bringing shame on both the agitators and the lord and his house.

The Scorpion thing to do is to quietly assassinate the daimyo, ideally making it look enough like natural causes that everyone can properly mourn the lost of the most noble honorable samurai, and then get on with getting someone who's not an idiot in power. The lord's glory and honor is preserved, a better ruler is put in place, and everyone goes home happy. If that means a Shosuro infiltrator has blood on her hands, so be it.

Something that stops being helpful when the things you are fighting are tough enough to ignore a few arrows sticking out of them and fast enough to be in your face by the time you notch your second arrow.

That is kind of my issue with that, where Scorpions just seem to get best of everything. Their idea of right and honourable fits with what works, and everything works in harmony. Thus they seem to be portrayed in a very positive light.

On the other hand, Matsu, or Crane clan, where right, honor and something that actually works, may all differ, seem to all be at odds. Sometimes it just makes it very hard to pick to play a lion or a crane

Something that becomes less of an option when the easiest way to hurt something at range is with a ballista bolt.

Their foe literally corrupts all it touches and seeks to spread like a plague across the realm in it's entirety. The big units also shrug off anything without jade somewhere on it short of siege weaponry. They cannot afford the space to retreat, so they must hold the line against the swarms of foes that throw themselves against it, which unfortunately means getting trapped in melee too often.

Something that works even less than swords against the scary blighters.

I applied the name "Scorpionfag" to indicate that I was posting from a biased point of view. The reality is that the Scorpion perspective is cripplingly dependent on trust.

In the example I gave before, consider the perspective of the Shosuro assassin. Her Bayushi lord might be looking at market reports and taxation records and deciding that Lord Incompetent needs to go, but he doesn't actually tell any of that to his employees. So the assassin is left to kill the daimyo, to murder an actual human being, on the word of her master. That takes a toll, no matter how much the Scorpion try to convince their samurai that it shouldn't. Where it gets far worse is the forbidden question: "What if my master is wrong?" What if the Bayushi is blaming poor harvests and poor trade on a daimyo who has done the best he can with a poor situation? What if months after the daimyo's death the situation has only gotten worse? What does the assassin think then?

So they don't. A Scorpion shuts the fuck up and does what he's told. In the Clan of Secrets, it is not your place to know why you're being told to do these horrible things, only to do them, and Trust that your superiors giving the orders are doing so in service to Clan and Emperor.

And then that's where it falls apart. Because for all that the Scorpion go on about Loyalty, their loose moral structure DOES result in quite a few Scorpions falling prey to greed and ambition, and forsake their responsibilities in favor of their desires. Whether it be a minor lord who pays lip service to his masters while lining his pockets, or a large-scale conspiracy to uproot the clan's leadership, a Scorpion kuge is trained to believe that his judgement overrides conventional morality, and when he turns, he can drag with him dozens of buge who have been told their entire lives to do as they're told, even if it they think what they're doing is wrong.