01 A Hot Summer At War

load previous
Aug 27, 2020 2:12 am
The tactical retreat to the alleyway seemed like a good idea at first, but with those possessed peasants charging in like madmen, those behind pushing those up front, it looks like the two monks will have to slowly back up while confronting the wave of mad peasants... Then, in the distance, the sound of hope. Seem like some troops are approaching the village. Suzume draws from a well of energy he did not knew he possessed, redoubling his efforts to knock out as many peasants as he can before the soldiers sweep into the village and starts killing before asking questions... The more peasants he knocked out, the more lives he saved...
OOC:
I'll be using my last round of my Wasp tattoo for 2 actions this round.
I succeeded my first action, failed my second, and Sakura succeeded hers.
Last edited Aug 27, 2020 2:13 am

Rolls

Suzume's 1st action 5k1 + Fire (3) + Monk (8) - (1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, RA)

1d10+11 : (108) + 11 = 29

1d10+11 : (5) + 11 = 16

1d10+11 : (7) + 11 = 18

1d10+11 : (4) + 11 = 15

1d10+11 : (1) + 11 = 12

Suzume's 2nd action 5k1 + fire (3) + Monk (8) - (1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, 1d10+11, RA)

1d10+11 : (7) + 11 = 18

1d10+11 : (2) + 11 = 13

1d10+11 : (4) + 11 = 15

1d10+11 : (5) + 11 = 16

1d10+11 : (5) + 11 = 16

Sakura's action 1k1+12 - (1d10+12, RA)

(101) + 12 = 23

Aug 28, 2020 7:17 pm
As Reiko prepared to fight the last two opponents, she noticed that the two monks were not in a comfortable situation in their fight, still being severely outnumbered.
"I am needed elsewhere, so if you yield now, I will be merciful." She frowned. "I am not often merciful. You would do well to avail yourself to it."
Something that looked suspiciously like a smile played on Kawanabi's lips for a moment. He was about to suggest he could take care of both of their opponents, when they started charging.
Reiko tensed. She shifted the point of her sword slightly, seemingly aiming for her opponent's heart, but actually readying her hands for a swift climb. when the time came, her hands went up, the point of her sword barely moving. Her sword was perfectly placed, intercepted the blow and deflected it. The force of the block sent her blade in a swift arc that she accelerated with the barest of efforts. It bit into the top of the attacker's skull bisecting it neatly.
Kawanabi traded a couple of blows with his own attacker, and impaled him through his gut.
As soon as she was sure both men were out for the count, Reiko turned towards the alley entrance to go to the aid of the monks, hoping she would be in time to help.
Aug 30, 2020 5:24 pm
Inara followed Yukiyo as she moved around the room, watching as she prepared for the ritual, uncertainty slowly overshadowing curiosity as she began to understand what was going on.

"Wrap your hands with this ribbon, forming the infinity sign, and place your forehead on the stone. Then pray the Kamis so that they throw your memories within the smoke. Think of those feelings, let those memories be clear in your head. Remember."

Mind magic. Inara froze for a moment, taken aback. She knew precious little about this particular spell, but from what she did remember from her training, it was... invasive, at best, and not without risk. Even her ability to trust had limits, and the thought of going through with this with a working partner she had met only moments before frightened the young mage. Breathe, she reminded herself gently. You still have a choice.

There was no doubt that Yukiyo was experienced enough to see her through the spell safely. And the demeanor of the kami surrounding them was that of willing partners, so there was a good chance that she was in competent hands.

And... had she not, only moments before, sang to the kami her acknowledgement of the fact that she was there to help, in whatever way they may require? That was her duty as a shugenja, and the least she could do to protect her friends.

Inara wound the ribbon around her hands and did as she was asked, pressing the stone to the center of her forehead, closing her eyes, and reciting the prayer that would give the kami access to her memories. She could feel their heightened attention ripple through the room, and she spoke to each of them, asking earnestly for their help. As the spell progressed, she could feel them each in turn... the inquisitive air kami curiously sifting through the mystery... the earth kami granting patience and stability to the shifting vision... the fire kami dancing through ordeal... the water kami soothing the sharp edges of fear with practiced stoicism.

The younger shugenja had just begun to settle into the rhythm of the spell, believing that perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all, when with the dropping of her defenses and the end of her active role in the ritual, the work began in earnest. Inara began to feel a growing negative pressure behind her eyes, a pulling sensation which turned gradually to tearing and increased in severity as time went on. She remembered everything all at once. The words of the Council before her departure, the growing sense of separation from her friends, her vision of the moon, the violent fear and pain she had felt at the appearance of the northern shadow, the vision the kami had granted to Itsumi in the courtyard earlier that same evening. It all rushed together, far outside her ability to control or contain, and she hoped the kami and Yukiyo could see the patterns that were escaping her. She tried to focus on what she saw, the images and emotions and thoughts and sounds, trying to make it as clear as she could as the magic surged around and through her. She slowly became aware of the passing of time, but was uncertain how much of it had passed. Heat and pain seared her hands, and she opened her eyes in time to see the last remnants of the ribbon burning away, leaving angry red marks on her skin. Without the ribbon to hold it in place, the blue topaz stone clattered to the floor... Inara looked down at it, realizing she was on her knees on the workroom floor, fighting to stay conscious.

"I am here to serve," she whispered.
Last edited Aug 30, 2020 5:44 pm
Sep 6, 2020 3:39 pm
The last moments of the two peasants unfolded in a confused flash of exchanges and decisive movements, despite the spark of mercy which the magistrate had wanted to show. In the time of only two breaths, Reiko and her second had managed their opponents in their own direct way, without any frill, and without even waiting for the corpses to fall to the ground, Reiko started running in the direction of the struggling monks, followed by Kawanabi in the second.

But tens of meters separated them, enough that the two Ise Zumis would have to defend themselves for a while.

In the outburst of violence of the two Dragons, they no longer bothered themselves with futile movements. One shot had to hit the mark, before moving on to the next.

Sakura, all in agility, used her own attacks as a rebound to chain her opponents, while Suzume took advantage of the opposing movements to attack in expeditious counters. It was in one of these movements, a rotation around the weapon of one of the peasants, which he ended with a direct strike from the elbow to the temple, that another of his assailants pierced his thigh with one of the branches of his fork.

It was the precise moment during which troops of the Crane clan took over the streets of the village, at the opposite of Reiko's position.
https://i.postimg.cc/Vv85s0Tg/DAIDOJI-Nobunaka-Lieutenant-Scout.png
"Who's there ? What is going on here and what were those battle noises?"

Strangely enough, the few corrupted peasants who were still conscious fell to the ground, their eyes rolled back, and clearly unconscious.
Of the dark silhouette that Suzume had seen under the edge of the woods, there was no trace left ...

Inside a lab at Shiro Daidoji, a young shugenja of the Phoenix was experiencing a new way to deal with the Kamis. A painful way, and not one she would want to try again anytime soon. The first thing she realized was that she no longer had any notion of the elapsed time. And how could she even try to put into words what she had just experienced. The sensation of a mist seeping into her mind, only to feel brutally pulled from her own body, and finally almost lost in a blazing fire.

Throughout the duration of this ritual, Yukiyo watched. Watched how her guest tried to resist, even involuntarily, this intrusion. Watched how her mind plunged into the smoke from the brazier. Watched how this smoke took on different shapes, fleeting and hazy.

Visions echoing the conclusions the elders of the clan had reached. An ancient evil had found a way to wake up, and symbols of both the Crane and the Lion seemed to point in the direction of the ongoing war. But in these visions, an indefinable shadow seemed to manipulate these allegories of the two clans.

It was too little to absolve the Lion of responsibility in this war. It was, however, more than enough to instill pernicious doubt in Yukiyo's thoughts. If ever the two clans had allowed themselves to be maneuvered by a Maho-Tsukai, a renegade mage, then it was the entire Empire that was in danger.

Inara, her hands burnt where the ribbon was wound, slowly regained contact with the physical reality of the world. It took her a few minutes to rediscover the laboratory setting, and when, finally, she could clearly discern her counterpart, it was confused, pensive, and visibly withdrawn that Yukiyo showed herself to the young Phoenix.

A few seconds passed, in a heavy silence, and as Inara began to wonder what was going to happen to her from now on, Yukiyo blinked several times, finally remembering that she was not alone. With a slight pleasant smile, she put her arm around the shoulders of the young woman.
"I don't know how to thank you, friend of the Kamis. You have had a most painful experience, at my request, and only time will tell if your visions will help my clan. I will have to inform my peers and we will have to make a decision. But I bet you're more than exhausted now, and you wouldn't refuse to be able to rest. Which, moreover, is the right thing to do after such an exchange with the Kamis."
[ +- ] OOC The first night
Sep 6, 2020 5:54 pm
Well this is strange Suzume knelt next to one of his opponents who had merely dropped to the ground, looking for vital signs, taking time to stare back at the tree first, only to notice the silhouette was gone...

"Thank you for coming to our aid samurai-sama. We stopped for the night in this village on our way to Shiro Daidoji on official Dragon Clan business when we were suddenly attacked in the middle of the night by other peasants who looked like they could've been peasant levies. The way they were acting, fighting as men possessed... and how they simply fell to the ground when you arrived, I suspect maho to be at work!"

Suzume then stood up from examining the fallen peasant, turned and pointed towards the tree in the distance. "Right there, below that tree, while we were fighting for our lives, someone was observing the whole scene. Though the person was far away, I could steel feel malign intentions emanating from the individual in question..."
Last edited Sep 6, 2020 6:09 pm
Sep 6, 2020 8:50 pm
"Who's there ? What is going on here and what were those battle noises?"
"Thank you for coming to our aid samurai-sama. We stopped for the night in this village on our way to Shiro Daidoji on official Dragon Clan business when we were suddenly attacked in the middle of the night by other peasants who looked like they could've been peasant levies. The way they were acting, fighting as men possessed... and how they simply fell to the ground when you arrived, I suspect maho to be at work! Right there, below that tree, while we were fighting for our lives, someone was observing the whole scene. Though the person was far away, I could steel feel malign intentions emanating from the individual in question..."
Reiko frowned.
Kawanabi!
Her secretary instantly took a scroll from his robes.
Cease all you are doing this instant! The honorable Matsu Reiko, Emerald Magistrate commands it! This place is under inquest, and you are ordered to touch nothing, and prevent any tampering with evidence!
He shoved her official orders under the officer's nose.
Leaving her secretary to deal with the soldiers, she went straight to the monks.
I understand you are on official Clan business, but I was sent here by the Emerald Champion himself. I will have to delay you for a time. First, tell me everything you know again, in detail, then I will examine the corpses, and then, you will help me interrogate any survivors. I want what happened here explained, and I want that explanation now!
Last edited Sep 6, 2020 8:52 pm
Sep 8, 2020 11:43 pm
"Thank you, Asahina-san," Inara said, closing her eyes against a wave of dizziness and allowing herself to be supported by the other mage as she rose to her feet. "Somewhere safe to rest for the night will be thanks enough, I'm afraid I may have met my stamina's end."

Her normally active mind had grown very quiet, as half-formed thoughts circled each other, forming a sort of mental white noise. What happens now? she wondered silently as Yukiyo escorted her back to her room. There was nothing useful she could do before she had rested, but the nagging fear that she had not done enough clawed its way into the rest of her thoughts, coloring them with vague worry. Yukiyo spoke quietly and kindly to a young servant, who bowed, smiling, before running off ahead of them; the elder shugenja then turned her attention to Inara, informing her guest that she had arranged for food and tea to be brought to her room. Inara nodded in gratitude.

They passed a familiar door, the one behind which she had found Itsumi earlier in the evening. Inara hoped he was well, and wondered what the morning would bring for him, as well.

Finally, they arrived. Inara mustered the energy to wish Yukiyo a restful night, and ate in silence once she was alone. She didn't really want food... but she knew she needed it. Same for the tea, she knew the headache that would meet her in the morning if she didn't at least try to stay hydrated. At least that seemed to settle her stomach, and she felt a little better once it was finished. The young mage smiled... Yukiyo had also been kind enough to have bandages and a tin of herbal salve sent over. She massaged the mix into her hands where they had been burned, and sighed as it took the edge off the lingering pain. At least the burns wouldn't get infected. She wrapped them in strips of clean cloth, murmured an exhausted but sincere prayer to the kami thanking them for their assistance, and settled under the blanket. She was asleep almost before she had closed her eyes.
Sep 14, 2020 2:27 pm
Suzume was succinct, and straight to the point. After ordering the peasant elders found and escorted to shiro daidoji along with the prisoners, and before going there herself, Reiko insisted in a last duty.
"Show me exactly where you saw this shadowy figure, I have to examine it in detail."
Suzume led the way and, stopping ten meters short, said:
"It was right here, next to the trees."
Reiko let her experienced eyes roam the scene, looking for any sign, any clue.
[ +- ] Spoiler
Last edited Sep 14, 2020 2:28 pm
Sep 14, 2020 2:57 pm
OOC:
No need for a roll here
Investigating the area where the monk saw that strange shadow, Reiko didn't find much, except for a marked imprint on the ground, with the mark of a small sunken circle, close to the imprint of the right foot. The grass in the yard around (50 centimeters around of the imprint) was ashy to the touch, as was a portion of the bark of the tree, where the shadowy figure stood.
Sep 14, 2020 6:23 pm
"Hmm, a Lion using the Kitsuki method? How odd..." thought Suzume...

You do not have permission to post in this thread.