"Dreams that ravish my energy , jade does bot aid against them and each day my kimonos bear a new mark that I can not see , and which is associated with a legend of a murdering woman.
Yasu shifts to place herself between Murato and the rest of the room to offer that extra little bit of space for him to collect his thoughts while the other Kitsu is marking down wards.
The mention of these attacks coming in dreams has her glancing to Koi for her expertise on that matter. "Not to be indelicate," but she's totally going to be, "do we know if this creature is merely an aggressive spirit, or it it also bears Jigoku's corruption? I hope it does not, for Utaku-san's sake."
Crab * Purifier * Big Lady * Face Paint * Excellent Bloodlines * Unwealthy * Friendly
Honor is the Ideal * Glory: Unremarkable Retainer * Status: 30 * CP: 16
Commonly worn: Clothes!; wakizashi with crab tsuba; small knife; scroll satchel--tied closed with blue & brown kumihimo braid and dangling apricot pit netsuke; elaborately woven ribbon tying up her hair; a jade necklace carved into a Badger head, carved wooden charms of crab and moth looped around a wrist with lavender ribbon.
Yasu shifts to place herself between Murato and the rest of the room to offer that extra little bit of space for him to collect his thoughts while the other Kitsu is marking down wards.
The mention of these attacks coming in dreams has her glancing to Koi for her expertise on that matter. "Not to be indelicate," but she's totally going to be, "do we know if this creature is merely an aggressive spirit, or it it also bears Jigoku's corruption? I hope it does not, for Utaku-san's sake."
Tsugumasu looks up from drawing the ritual circles.
"I'm afraid you would be the expert on that matter Kuni-san. Given that it was not shared me who the afflicted was untiil just moments a go...." he says with a flick of the eyes to the secretive Scorpion. "....I'm not working with as much information as I'd like to have."
After taking a moment to himself while Tsugumasa set up the ritual, Murato felt a bit better. He rose and rejoined, finding his place at his cousin's direction.
He doesn't know anything about taint or not with this creature, not something he sensed earlier. So he just waited for things to begin. Every time you dealt with an aggressive spirit, tainted or not, you put your soul in peril. He was not unused to it.
Yasu sighs a bit. "Without a bit more study, hard to say sight unseen. Gaki aren't always that kind of corrupted. Though if Utaku-san's been wearing jade? If it's affected, the question's answered. If not...still some questions lingering."
_________
ooc, ghosting instructions are set up since I'll be at work shortly.
Crab * Purifier * Big Lady * Face Paint * Excellent Bloodlines * Unwealthy * Friendly
Honor is the Ideal * Glory: Unremarkable Retainer * Status: 30 * CP: 16
Commonly worn: Clothes!; wakizashi with crab tsuba; small knife; scroll satchel--tied closed with blue & brown kumihimo braid and dangling apricot pit netsuke; elaborately woven ribbon tying up her hair; a jade necklace carved into a Badger head, carved wooden charms of crab and moth looped around a wrist with lavender ribbon.
"H-Hai, Suzume-sama, as you say. came the quiet reply. The boy did not seem particularly reassured by the smiling man known to carry a three foot long razor blade with him.
Reassured or not, the Suzume kept a calm, friendly smile, Daisho in the saya (assuming he could have the Daisho with him), his hands far from it. He looks back now and then to see if there are any signs coming from where the others went to, but otherwise keeps by the boy's side.
"Renjiro-san is your name, ne? Please don't let me disturb or frighten you - I'll just stay here in case something needs attention, hai?", he says with another kind smile.
OOC:
Would any sort of check be useful to help the child keep more at ease?
Sparrow Clan * Woodsman * Herbalist * Wicker hat * Disheveled hair * Clothes never fully clean
Not a penny to his name * A simple life is a good life * Life is sacred * The truth is always simple Status: 25 * Glory: 31 * Honour: Is the ideal * CP: 27 Carries: Common clothes, Wicker hat, Daisho, Knife, Sling, Daisho (as allowed), Medicine Kit, Pillow books. In the field: Ashigaru armour, Wicker hat, Daisho, Sling, Knife, Bo, Hunting Yari, Travelling pack, Rations, Pillow books.
"H-Hai, Suzume-sama, as you say. came the quiet reply. The boy did not seem particularly reassured by the smiling man known to carry a three foot long razor blade with him.
Reassured or not, the Suzume kept a calm, friendly smile, Daisho in the saya (assuming he could have the Daisho with him), his hands far from it. He looks back now and then to see if there are any signs coming from where the others went to, but otherwise keeps by the boy's side.
"Renjiro-san is your name, ne? Please don't let me disturb or frighten you - I'll just stay here in case something needs attention, hai?", he says with another kind smile.
OOC:
Would any sort of check be useful to help the child keep more at ease?
(Sure. Water/Command at TN 2 would be the most appropriate, but you could really do anything, storytell, play a word game with him, the sky's the limit)
Non-Human * Gamemaster * Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy * Mastermind
Yasu sighs a bit. "Without a bit more study, hard to say sight unseen. Gaki aren't always that kind of corrupted. Though if Utaku-san's been wearing jade? If it's affected, the question's answered. If not...still some questions lingering."
_________
ooc, ghosting instructions are set up since I'll be at work shortly.
"Utaku-san carries jade", he told the Kuni, then to everyone else. "We should begin."
Shosuro Hikimasu Scorpion Clan • Bushi • Soldier • Dead Fish Eyes • Friend of Yūdaina Honor: 41 Status: 35 Glory: 44 Carries: clothing, daisho, fan, mempo. Has ashigaru armor, daikyu and magnificent steed for battle. Description "Fulfillment is just another form of arrogance."
(Sure. Water/Command at TN 2 would be the most appropriate, but you could really do anything, storytell, play a word game with him, the sky's the limit)
After the boy, the cat and the Sparrow had been quite for quite some time, Senseki turned to the kid again, the same kind smile still adorning his face, and asked the boy.
"Have you ever heard the story about how a 10 year-old boy, the child of a pumpkin farmer, once saved a group of three brave samurai from a group of bandits?"
He went on to tell the child the story - which played out in Sparrow lands, unsurprisingly - and had the boy as its main character.
The three samurai were guards in a small village, in which the boy's father cared for a farm about one quarter of an hour removed from the village centre. The village and its surrounding farms were being raided by a group of bandits for about a week, and the boy had heard that the samurai were having difficulties locating them, always arriving at locations that had been raided some ten minutes too late, and finding no clues as to where the bandits had fled to.
One day, the boy noticed some of the pumpkins gone, and immediately imagined it might be the bandits. He told his father, who ran off to give word to the three samurai, and told the child to keep an eye out... but run if things got dangerous.
Some ten minutes after his dad had left, the boy heard some noises outside. He was scared, but gathered all his courage, tried to find the source of the noises and, hiding under a window, overheard the bandits talking outside. They were having a discussion - one of them was especially hungry, and said they should eat the pumpkins right there. Another one was afraid, and said they should run away quickly - they could return to get more another day, as they had been doing. The third one, on the other hand, said this was their chance - they knew the boy's father had gone out, so they could take the chance to kidnap the boy, then one of them could use him as a hostage while the others hid and, when the samurai came, take advantage of the confusion to kill the three samurai and take control of the village, at least for some time.
Hearing that, the boy was very frightened, of course... but once again, he gathered his courage. He knew one of them was afraid, and one of them was hungry.
And he knew his family made the best pumpkin soup in all the region.
So that's what he did. As he heard the three bandits still discussing outside, he got whatever he still had inside the house and prepared the best soup he could. The smell was delicious, and it eventually made its way outside. As it found the bandits' nostrils, the boy could hear the hungry one practically begging to go inside to taste it. As they stepped into the front door, the boy was ready to receive them, holding a pan with the soup, three bowls placed on a table before them.
'Konbanwa, minasan!', the boy said. 'I heard you were hungry! If you would sit down, I'll be happy to serve you our specialty!'
The bandits exchange confused - but craving - looks among themselves. The one who had devised the plan to kidnap the boy let out a guffaw, though. 'What are you saying, boy? We will just take the soup if we want it - and then take you and use you to kill these cocky guards!'.
The boy felt a chill run up his spine, but he kept strong... and started tipping the pan with the soup over. 'Oh? If you want to do that, I'll sadly have to throw away the soup, friends... I'm sorry! If you want to taste the soup, please leave me free so I can serve it!'
As they saw the soup starting to pour onto the ground, the other two looked at the most violent bandit angrily, and yelled 'No! No, we want the soup!', they said, and then, to the protests of the other one, they promised the boy they'd sit down and eat and leave him free... at least until they were finished.
They ate one bowl of soup, then another, and then another - and the boy served them two cups of sake apiece to go with it. As they were done, they were so full, and so happy, they decided to rest for a bit before doing anything else...
... and then, while they slept and the boy was washing the dishes outside, the boy's father arrived with the three samurai.
"And then!", the Sparrow finally said, smiling kindly to the boy again. "So it was that the boy, just hearing what he could and doing what he liked to do best, saved the lives of three samurai, and saved his village from that group of bandits. See... often all it takes is doing what we do best, and controlling our fear, ne?"
If not, I might use 1 to "reassure him, removing 2 strife" if that makes sense. (and then 1 opp to remove strife)
If it IS enough to calm him down, then the opportunities might go towards 2: "Notice something missing or out of place in the vicinity that is not directly related to the task. At the GM’s discretion, you may establish an absence, such as a lack of shoes outside indicating the occupant’s absence." if that makes sense for the scene!
Sparrow Clan * Woodsman * Herbalist * Wicker hat * Disheveled hair * Clothes never fully clean
Not a penny to his name * A simple life is a good life * Life is sacred * The truth is always simple Status: 25 * Glory: 31 * Honour: Is the ideal * CP: 27 Carries: Common clothes, Wicker hat, Daisho, Knife, Sling, Daisho (as allowed), Medicine Kit, Pillow books. In the field: Ashigaru armour, Wicker hat, Daisho, Sling, Knife, Bo, Hunting Yari, Travelling pack, Rations, Pillow books.
Yasu sighs a bit. "Without a bit more study, hard to say sight unseen. Gaki aren't always that kind of corrupted. Though if Utaku-san's been wearing jade? If it's affected, the question's answered. If not...still some questions lingering."
_________
ooc, ghosting instructions are set up since I'll be at work shortly.
"Utaku-san carries jade", he told the Kuni, then to everyone else. "We should begin."
With the ritual explained, everyone took their positions around the Unicorn and began the ceremony:
Murato focused, chanting a prayer, and falling into a strong rhythm that would tie together the other elements with surprising success. There was no doubt in his heart in this moment as he falls into the side duty he was so used to performing.
