GM: Travis Lindquist
Players: Sean, Alec, Tracy, Steve, Fattig and Sean
System: L5R
Back to the Empire
I had really good time in the session pairing up with Shiba Shiko (Alec’s character), because of my character’s son. He’s the bastard child of Rei (my character) and an NPC Shiba Katanare. Rei is pretty openly amorous with other warriors. If they impress her on the battlefield it doesn’t take much to find their way into her bed. She’s not getting tied down though, at least not until some matchmaker makes her, so most men she literally loves and leaves. It’s a Matsu thing.
Well, Rei’s son has apparently taken after his father in spirit and Rei receive a letter from the Dojo indicating that he was refusing to fight. Although his form was exemplary, he did not want to hurt another student. A Lion pacifist. Who heard of such a thing? This was clearly all Shiba’s fault (the Clan is famous for amazing warriors who don’t want to fight). So Rei pretty much had it out with Shiko, insulting his clan and his family, as she was frustrated by news of her son.
The conversation between Rei and Shiko didn’t appear a fruitful one at first. She railed at him, he held his ground. Later in the month, however, when faced with what to do with peasants who had attacked a Samurai, Shiko’s steadfast nature turned Rei’s own anger back on her. He presented her with a choice. Show compassion to the peasants (which she did not want to do) or admit that last time she showed compassion, she was wrong and admit regret (a sin for Samurai). Rei is just one of those stupid proud people that would rather keep doing the wrong thing rather than admit she made a mistake.
The final resolution was to have the hetman round up the offenders and hang them in public as a demonstration. Then Rei cut off the hetman’s head for his failures. All in all seven deaths seemed minor to the seven hundred she was prepared to execute.
Tso-Lou found a temple to the “Emperor” in the Imperial Lands. Only it was black and he was pretty sure the Emperor they were talking about was either Hantei (the last dynasty) or Daigotsu (the horribly evil, yet technically legitimate emperor in the Shadowlands). There was death by shovel, followed by reanimation, followed by my death and some re-reanimation of other folks. At the end of the day, just burn down the damn temple!
Shinji visited the Emerald Legion and found it suffering from taint. She talked to the general himself who was concerned that the quartermaster might have something to do with the problem. Upon inspection of the wares, the stores of jade turned out to be empty and promptly the quartermaster turned the general’s bowels insides out with some dark sorcery. Yep, Shiji was all over that like white on rice. Though not a creature of the shadowlands she still had plenty of aid from the kami as the earth exploded around him and captured him within… then as the shadows slipped from the body, Shiji skewered it with her spear. Kuni Witchunter 1. Shadow possessing bastard: 0
Shimizu met the Sohei. Warrior monks who claimed the Asahina got it all wrong and were living in regret. He had to pass through all kinds of trials (including shaving his head, setting down his blade, and being jumped by all kinds of fools). Eventually he convinced the abbot to speak with Doji Domotai and see about having both orders of Shugenja having a place in the Crane.
What rocked
Said conversations between Rei and Shiko.
Talking to a legion commander that was so convinced we were coming to commission his troops that the end result was that it was a lot easier to just agree with him and tell him we were taking his troops
.
Shimizu is bald. And he’s probably legitimized a new order. Rock.
The Act 2 meta-mechanics are really putting pressure on us. We’re all scrambling to keep the empire from crumbling.
Washichi and his paddle boats!
What could have improved
Either writing this sooner or taking notes. It took me racking my brain to remember what I did, and I know I’ve missed lots.
