Mists of War - DM Downrightamazed

Game Master downrightamazed

Three groups of gaijin approach the Son of the Heavens, ruler of the Empire of Mists, in his palace in far Lanzhu. A great war is underway in the west, this is known, but what could these strangers want?


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Welcome, one and all.

Eyes movement rates, sighs deeply. Reminds self to shop for potions of expidetious retreat. Wonders where Zorn can wear fourth shoe of horseshoes of speed.


So I'm partway caught up on what's been going on in the thread and am thinking together some sort of background. Without really knowing a ton about the setting, I'm thinking I'll probably have to take some liberties and make some stuff up so tell me if you think this is too crazy of a background summary. If it's not too crazy, let me know and I'll write up something more in-depth and more cohesive:

Okay, so I'm thinking Yohei was raised by Gnomes in an all-Gnome monastery specializing in Zen Archery. Being an all-Gnome monastery, this was without a doubt a pretty weird place and Yohei is probably a little quirky with his humor as a result. About six years ago Yohei and his childhood friend, a Gnome named Yuki, set out from the monastery to explore the world and ended up in Lanzhu. One night while traveling through a bad part of town, the two monks were set upon by a band of burakumin gangsters and though they managed to defeat the thugs, Yuki was mortally injured in the battle.

Having lost his friend, Yohei set out to track down the gangsters and put them to justice. After spending several weeks in the worst parts of the city, he finally got a lead when he met up with another Tengu named Hayato who had also been wronged by the gangsters in question. With Hayato's aid, Yohei was able to infiltrate the gangsters' compound and take down their leader. When the Captain of the Palace Guard heard that the head of one of the city's major criminal operations had been cut off, he sent his men out to find who was responsible. When the Guards burst into his room, Yohei was reserved to his fate and went along willingly; he knew he had killed a man and was prepared to stand for him crimes, but to his surprise when he was brought before the Captain, rather than being executed for murder, he was offered a job.

For the past six years Yohei has worked for the Palace Guard in a special capacity as a silent enforcer and rooftop lookout. When not officially on the job, he has been in contact with Hayato and together they have gathered a number of Tengu youths formerly working as cutpurses and thieves on the streets and under Yohei's tutelage they have taken up the monastic traditions and martial training that Yohei learned in his upbringing. Three months ago, Yohei presented a proposal to the Captain of the Guard to form his own unit consisting of himself, Hayato, and his trainees. Since that time, Yohei and his recruits have worked as an offically sanctioned unit of the Palace Guard.

So yeah, that's pretty roughly what I'm thinking. Is the Palace Guard pretty much just stuck to the Palace or do they guard the city as well? I'm thinking Yohei and his unit, in addition to their duties of keeping watch throughout the palace grounds would possibly also take on missions throughout the city to fight crime and the like. Also, would it be possible to get a rough run-down of the cast of NPCs? If the Captain of the Guard hasn't been named yet, I'll need to know who he is as Yohei reports directly to him from what I've got so far.

Anyway, I'm going to get started typing up a more cohesive version of all of this, so let me know if there are any changes I need to make or any details I can include (names, etc)


That actually works perfectly! If you check the latest post I just put up you'll see reference to an all-tengu squad of archers, so we can certainly mold that to fit what you're doing.

The NPC gallery is pretty large. To answer you question, The main captain of the guard is Takagami Goro, who is on duty right now, in-game, but typically rotates around with other, lower ranked Watch Captains (like He Mu Li) so he can tend to his other duties.

The Emperor is The Emperor, of course, then there are all the various Clans, foremost of which are Clan Sera and Clan Shoto. Basically in my games the PCs are of Epic Importance, so you'll want to know who they are as much if not more than anyone else. I'm about to leave work, but I'll post some more NPCs that Yohei would know about tonight. But yeah; so far, looks good to me!


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

Welcome welcome! New people- Yay! I was reading the Kingmaker campaign too for a while until I just had to force myself to focus on WORK. *ahem*

So, looking forward to playing with you.


For kicks I statted out Hayato and the rest of the Tengu.

Enjoy!:
Hayato
Male Tengu Rogue 1/Zen Archer 3
LN Medium Humanoid (Tengu)
Init +3; Senses Perception +13, Low-Light Vision
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 17 (+1 armor, +3 Dex, +4 Wis, +1 Dodge)
total hp 21 (4d8) current hp 21
Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +7
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 40 ft.
Ranged Mwk Composite Longbow +8 (1d8+1/x3) or +7/+7 (1d8+1/x3; Flurry)
Melee Katana +4 (1d10+1/19-20)
Melee Unarmed +3 (1d6+1) or +2/+2 (1d6+1; Flurry)
Melee Bite +3 (1d3)
SA Sneak Attack +1d6, Flurry of Blows
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 13, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 8, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 21
Feats Dodge, Perfect Strike, Point Blank Shot, Deadly Aim, Weapon Focus (Longbow), Precise Shot
Trained Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +5, Disable Device +7, Knowledge (local) +3, Perception +13, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +12
Untrained Skills Linguistics +3
Languages Common, Tengu
SQ Sneaky, Swordtrained, Gifted Linguist, Trapfinding, Unarmed Strike 1d6, Fast Movement 10 ft, Zen Archery, Point Blank Master
Combat Gear mw composite longbow [+1 str], mw katana; Other Gear bracers of armor +1, mw thieves tools, monk's outfit, 465 gp

Tengu Archer x 10
Male Tengu Zen Archer 1
LN Medium Humanoid (Tengu)
Init +2; Senses Perception +8, Low-Light Vision
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 Wis)
total hp 7 (1d8-1) current hp 7
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Ranged Composite Longbow +2 (1d8/x3) or +1/+1 (1d8/x3; Flurry)
Melee Katana +0 (1d10/19-20)
Melee Unarmed +0 (1d6) or -1/-1 (1d6; Flurry)
Melee Bite +0 (1d3)
SA Flurry of Blows
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 11, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 9
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 14
Feats Perfect Strike, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Trained Skills Acrobatics +6, Perception +8, Stealth +8
Untrained Skills Linguistics +3
Languages Common, Tengu
SQ Sneaky, Swordtrained, Gifted Linguist, Unarmed Strike 1d6
Combat Gear composite longbow, katana; Other Gear monk's outfit, 65 gp

2 levels lower for a quasi-cohort seemed appropriate and I made the unit 12-strong as it's a nice number. I used Heroic NPC stats and cash for Hayato and Regular NPC stuff for the other Archers.

Now to get that background out of the way...


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

Okay, I'm getting caught up with your story.

So, what would the national analogue be for Tiria? Perhaps Mizu can be an envoy of some sort from them. Perhaps he can be added to the party after petitioning the Emperor to protect their interests. As an important trade partner, he might assent.

As for his personality, I see him being unfailingly polite (even in combat). Absolutely not prone to anger, he tries to be still as the water of a motionless lake.

Maybe, just maybe,
He speaks in form of haiku
To express himself.


Actually... I see such great potential in Kyras. I don't know what state PsionicFox left in. With his and/or your blessing, I would like to take a crack at the character. I just enjoyed what little he wrote so much that I can't stand seeing it go to waste.

What do you think?


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

@Yohei:

I assume that our characters have worked together before as part of the Palace Guard, and have a sense of each other's personalities, etc. Have you any interest in creating any further connection/backstory that will enable them to trust each other in battle, and perhaps trust each other outside of battle as well. Something closer to friends than just coworkers? I'm open to it, since Azami is more likely to feel comraderie with a fellow warrior-type than anyone else, and I think it might be a good idea to have at least one connection to another PC. That way Azami's closed-up, mistrusting, battle-focused nature might not tick everyone off.


DM Barcas wrote:

Actually... I see such great potential in Kyras. I don't know what state PsionicFox left in. With his and/or your blessing, I would like to take a crack at the character. I just enjoyed what little he wrote so much that I can't stand seeing it go to waste.

What do you think?

I'm completely fine with it. PsionicFox just kind of disappeared, which really bummed me out as he seems like a supremely cool guy; there were no arguments or anything so I'm assuming RL issues wrapped him up. He vanished for a few days the first time, came briefly back, and has been gone for a fair while now. I totally love his build, so if you want to take over the character I'm fine with it, especially since I built a fair number of story hooks around him and his (thus far unseen) sister. If he shows back up, we can deal with that when/if it happens.

Feel free to jump in by responding to Vu, the fox spirit (Vulpinal Agathion, mechanically), as written in the last post I did directed to Kyras.


@Azami: Knowing each other sounds good to me. It would make sense as Yohei has been working for the Palace Guard for the last six years and it also makes sense that they would get along considering they're both outsiders of sorts.

@DRA: Speaking of which, what's the general populace's feeling towards Tengu? I kind of feel like they wouldn't be looked upon as outsiders as they're pretty much native to the region, but at the same time they probably aren't very well-trusted considering most of their number make a living as thieves and the like. I'm thinking Yohei gets along with most of the other Guardsmen and the Captain, but may have issues with some of the other ranking officers as he isn't really much for proper etiquette or chain of command or any of that and generally just reports directly to the Captain.


Yohei wrote:
@DRA: Speaking of which, what's the general populace's feeling towards Tengu? I kind of feel like they wouldn't be looked upon as outsiders as they're pretty much native to the region, but at the same time they probably aren't very well-trusted considering most of their number make a living as thieves and the like.

That's pretty spot-on, really; in The Explored Land, tengu get the same benefit of the doubt as humans or any other "first class" race. There are the Shadowborn of House del Corranus in Mamban, for example, who regularly escort merchants and nobles and help keep peace in the Center City in that place, but there are also the Frostborn, lethal assassins and hired killers from the wastes of the north. Tengu in Lanzhu are viewed on the positive side of neutral due to those of you in the palace guard, the contingents of excellent tengu artisans in theaters and dance troupes, and the tengu merchants and sellswords, all of whom overbalance the population of thieves and pickpockets.


Alllright so I finally got around to typing up that background. It's in my profile, but here it is as well:

Background:
'Gnomes are not made for this kind of altitude.' thinks Yuki as he shimmies up this long rope leading to the Tengu village. Not looking down at the old gnome climbing behind him and the plumetting vertigo beyond, he calls out, "Sensei, why do we have to climb up here to trade with the birdmen? Why can't they just come down to the Temple?"

"Quiet Yuki," admonishes the old master, "The Tengu of the mountain have been our trading partners for generations. It is tradition that the Monks of the Laughing Raven climb these peaks. You should feel honored that you were chosen to join me for this journey."

"Honored? C'mon..." the young gnome complains as his stubby hand grips the rock at the top of the cliff, "Finally!" he cries out as he pokes his round little head over the edge to look out upon the Tengu Village. "Ummm... Sensei... I think you'd better get up here, something is wrong." As the little monk clambers up the ledge, the old master joins him with alarming speed for his age and they look together at the gruesome sight before them.

The Tengu village lies in ruins. Though the fires have gone out, the buildings are charred and only a few structures remain standing. Corpses of slaughtered birdmen litter the ground and there appears to be no sign of life anywhere in the immediate area. "Stay here Yuki. I'm going to investigate." says the old master, his voice deathly serious. Yuki moves to protest, but he is silenced by the look his sensei gives him that freezes him in his slippers. Yuki waits for what seems like hours before the old man returns, but when the sensei emerges from one of the ruined buildings, Yuki gasps in surprise. The old master is carrying a large black egg nearly as big as himself.

--------------------

Yohei hatched from the egg and was raised by the Gnomes of the Laughing Raven Monastery. With jet-black feathers and a quick smile, he was something of a mascot for the monks and was well-liked by all - but most of all by Yuki, the young gnome who had been present when the sensei brought forth the egg from the ruins of the Tengu village. As Gnomes grow slower than most races, Yohei and Yuki reached maturity at about the same age and Yohei often referred to the Gnome as his "Little Big Brother." Yohei trained with the monks in the art of Kyudo, or Zen Archery, and quickly showed his prowess with a bow. After many years of training, Yohei and Yuki graduated together, but Yohei wasn't content to stay at the monastery and decided to set out on a journey to see the world. Ever faithful to his friend, Yuki agreed to accompany him and together they travelled across the Empire until their travels eventually landed them in the Imperial Capital of Lanzhu. One night while travelling through the city, the two monks were set upon by a band of burakumin gangsters and though they managed to fight off the thugs, Yuki was mortally injured in the battle.

Yohei was seriously distraught by the loss of his friend and swore revenge on the men responsible for his death. He didn't have much to go on except for the part of town the attack happened in and a red tiger symbol worn by the thugs. He spent a number of weeks in the worst parts of Lanzhu, trying to find anyone who might know the symbol, but he was mostly given the cold shoulder and didn't learn much. That is, until he met up with another Tengu named Hayato. Hayato had been a small time burglar who had been beaten half to death and relieved of his left eye when he made the mistake of stealing from the wrong man, a man named Fei Chao who was secretly also known as The Red Tiger, the head of one of the city's largest crime syndacates. With Hayato's help, Yohei investigated Fei Chao's operation and found that he was indeed the man responsible for the attack that had killed Yuki, but that he was also a ranking government official and with a number of bribes to the right people had made himself "untouchable" by the law. One night under the cover of darkness, Yohei infiltrated The Red Tiger's compound, surprising the gangster in his bed chamber and after a furious battle, ended the man's life.

When Inspector Cho searched the crime scene, he found evidence linking the politician to his secret life as The Red Tiger and immediately contacted his friend Takagami Goro, the Captain of the Guard. Together, the men sent their forces out to canvas the city and find who was responsible for ending the life of such a well-protected man. After hearing stories of a Tengu who had been asking around about Chao, they followed their leads to the small tenement flat lived in by Yohei on the south side of town. Yohei knew they would come and when they did, he went along willingly. He knew he had broken the law and was prepared for his punishment, but when we was brought before the Captain and the Inspector to confess his crimes, rather than receiving a death sentence, he was instead offered a job.

For the past six years Yohei has worked for the Palace Guard in a special capacity as a silent enforcer and rooftop lookout. When not officially on the job, he has been in contact with Hayato, the one eyed Tengu informant from his Tiger hunting days, and together they have gathered a number of Tengu youths formerly working as cutpurses and theives on the streets. Practicing on the rooftop of his old tenement, Yohei has been teaching the young Tengu the art of Kyudo and the tranquility of the monastic tradition. Three months ago, Yohei met with Takagami Goro and presented a proposal to form his trainees into a special unit of the Guard under his command. Seeing the advantage of having a unit of highly trained Tengu archers in his employ, the Captain swiftly agreed. While managing his new squad takes up more of his time than his old work did, Yohei still spends what time he can spare travelling the rooftops of the south side looking for new recruits.


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

Changed a few things about him, but he is pretty close to the same as he was.


Kyras Erodal wrote:
Changed a few things about him, but he is pretty close to the same as he was.

Sweet!


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

The changes are his skill allocation, feat choices, and him going to regular sorcerer rather than Words of Power. I also had him change to Red Dragon rather than Black Dragon, if that's all right.

Okay, so which of the PCs and important NPCs has he met? I want to stay as true to form as I can, but I don't want to have to check back the whole thread every time I post.


Kyras Erodal wrote:

The changes are his skill allocation, feat choices, and him going to regular sorcerer rather than Words of Power. I also had him change to Red Dragon rather than Black Dragon, if that's all right.

Okay, so which of the PCs and important NPCs has he met? I want to stay as true to form as I can, but I don't want to have to check back the whole thread every time I post.

All fine with me.

The main people he's interacted with so far are:
Xun Roi Bao (NPC): owner of a cartage company that gave him information about where the fox spirit Vu could be found. Vu was his sister's assistant, and Xun helped his sister move shortly before she disappeared.
Lu (NPC): manservant/assistant of Xun. Dumb and lame. Led Kyras to Vu's tenement.
Random Erinyes (NPC): Tested his abilities by having hired thugs attack him, intimated he was some kind of royalty or elite.
Azami Ito (PC): member of the Palace guard, confiscated his invite to tomorrow night's palace dinner.


Yohei wrote:

Alllright so I finally got around to typing up that background. It's in my profile, but here it is as well:

** spoiler omitted **...

This is terrific! Love it! The stats for Hayato and the rest of the crew look great as well, I think we'll be able to work in some sweet action for that gang...


Male Half-Human, Half-Erinyes Burglar Lv4, Skirmisher Lv2
DM Downrightamazed wrote:
Kyras Erodal wrote:

The changes are his skill allocation, feat choices, and him going to regular sorcerer rather than Words of Power. I also had him change to Red Dragon rather than Black Dragon, if that's all right.

Okay, so which of the PCs and important NPCs has he met? I want to stay as true to form as I can, but I don't want to have to check back the whole thread every time I post.

All fine with me.

The main people he's interacted with so far are:
Xun Roi Bao (NPC): owner of a cartage company that gave him information about where the fox spirit Vu could be found. Vu was his sister's assistant, and Xun helped his sister move shortly before she disappeared.
Lu (NPC): manservant/assistant of Xun. Dumb and lame. Led Kyras to Vu's tenement.
Random Erinyes (NPC): Tested his abilities by having hired thugs attack him, intimated he was some kind of royalty or elite.
Azami Ito (PC): member of the Palace guard, confiscated his invite to tomorrow night's palace dinner.

He met Daveth too, albeit briefly.


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

As a note, in case you ever see THIS:

1d20 + 100d10 + 5 &#8658; (10) + (7, 2, 9, 4, 9, 2, 2, 6, 3, 9, 2, 5, 5, 5, 7, 1, 4, 4, 5, 8, 9, 4, 1, 3, 10, 3, 7, 10, 8, 5, 5, 2, 1, 6, 6, 2, 7, 4, 10, 10, 9, 8, 4, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 2, 1, 2, 10, 1, 8, 1, 8, 1, 6, 10, 4, 5, 8, 3, 2, 4, 1, 4, 1, 8, 3, 7, 4, 5, 4, 6, 1, 9, 10, 7, 6, 10, 9, 6, 4, 7, 5, 1, 1, 8, 8, 8, 6, 6, 8, 2, 2, 3, 9, 5, 10) + 5 = 549
1d20 + 61d10 + 5 &#8658; (4) + (10, 9, 4, 1, 8, 3, 5, 3, 7, 3, 10, 9, 1, 2, 7, 6, 7, 8, 1, 8, 4, 8, 6, 3, 9, 9, 4, 10, 7, 6, 10, 10, 7, 7, 10, 6, 1, 10, 3, 1, 10, 8, 3, 1, 10, 6, 10, 8, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 7, 3, 6, 1, 4, 5) + 5 = 356

It's because you used a COMMA, and not a SEMI-COLON in your dice terms.

But DAY-UM. I think she hit. XD


I'm suddenly wondering how I'm going to get the taste of vampire out of my mouth.


@Daveth: True! Thank you for reminding me.
@Azami: Heh. I've done that too. It's...startling when it happens.
@San Pen: Hahaa, ew.


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges
San Pen wrote:
I'm suddenly wondering how I'm going to get the taste of vampire out of my mouth.

OMG LOL


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

Multiple personalities are fun to play. At least it's magical in nature and not mental illness.


Totally agree, amigo.


@Kyras & Kyras: Haha nice.

I'm looking forward to how this story is going to evolve and how we're all going to finally end up hooked together. It's cool to see how the small groups have already formed and are having their own mini-adventures apart from the others. I can pretty easily see how Yohei and Azami's group will link up with Tokine and San Pen since we all have the same allegiances to the Palace and if the Seras are up to no good that would definitely give motivation for Imuri to get involved. We'll see what happens with the other two and if they end up linking together or what. Whatever happens I'm certain good times will ensue.


Yohei wrote:

@Kyras & Kyras: Haha nice.

I'm looking forward to how this story is going to evolve and how we're all going to finally end up hooked together. It's cool to see how the small groups have already formed and are having their own mini-adventures apart from the others. I can pretty easily see how Yohei and Azami's group will link up with Tokine and San Pen since we all have the same allegiances to the Palace and if the Seras are up to no good that would definitely give motivation for Imuri to get involved. We'll see what happens with the other two and if they end up linking together or what. Whatever happens I'm certain good times will ensue.

Yeah! There are a few hooks here and there where various sub-groups can link up, and even bigger ones a ways out in the future. For this part of the adventure separate threads are intended. 'Cos I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. ;-)


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

I'm trying to see how Kyras will link up. Don't think the others will trust him much...


I'll confess that this game has the most convoluted plot lines I've written yet. It's gonna be a twisty and fun ride. :-D


This game truly shows the beauty of a PbP game, but also the skills of our DM. There is no way this adventure would work at a table, as there would be so much down time. But yeah, this is kick ass that Tokine is off having her adventure, now with San Pen, and it all ties into this bigger story that everyone else is enjoying as well.

Bravo!


I'm thinking Kyras won't be as much of a problem as Daveth. I'm really not sure how our party is going to end up trusting an evil half-fiend, but I guess we shall see.


Tokine Nagano wrote:

This game truly shows the beauty of a PbP game, but also the skills of our DM. There is no way this adventure would work at a table, as there would be so much down time. But yeah, this is kick ass that Tokine is off having her adventure, now with San Pen, and it all ties into this bigger story that everyone else is enjoying as well.

Bravo!

Aw hey, thank you. ^_^ But yeah, you guys are rocking it! Digging how everyone is reacting to and working with and adding cool stuff to their respective storylines. I'm trying hard to use the advantages of the medium exactly as you describe; being able to more easily have lots of individual threads that weave together. It's one of my two favorite things about PBP. The other is all the time people can put in to making awesome fluff happen. It's so great!


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

*waves Kyras' invitation to the Palace for tomorrow* I know how we might get Kyras there.

As for Daveth, well, he's also been ordered to come to the Palace. We'll see if he does. *cracks knuckles*

@Yohei: I don't know...Daveth seems rather more trustworthy after you see Kyras melt a boy's face off.


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

@Yohei, you are cracking me UP.


Azami Ito wrote:
@Yohei, you are cracking me UP.

Haha good!


This is the first time I've had to consider how difficult it is to talk in combat when your principle attack is a bite.


"You got Peasant on my Vampire." "Well you got Vampire in my Peasant."

Yum, two great tastes that go unnaturally together.


So I'm curious how the characters are feeling about the interconnectedness of all things, right now. How much the mists are related to the gaijin are related to the campers Yohei and Azami found are related to the Vampire Ninja (oh yes I did) that's on the loose, to the paintings. What's everyone making of all this, given just what they know, obviously, and leaving out metagaming?


Tokine Nagano wrote:

"You got Peasant on my Vampire." "Well you got Vampire in my Peasant."

Yum, two great tastes that go unnaturally together.

Hahahaaa, gross!


Male Half-elf Dragon Disciple 11

Kyras still believes himself pretty solo in his adventure. Hopefully he can connect to the others soon, but he's barely met most of them.


Hi guys! I just got done running a 14-hour IRL crossover two-party story-arc-ending game for an 8-person table so I'm completely exhausted and will update stuff for y'all tomorrow/later today. Sorry for the delay, but I hope you guys understand! Big updates tomorrow!


husband half Italian Expert 15 (carpenter 5/ gamer 5/ reader 5)
DRA wrote:
So I'm curious how the characters are feeling about the interconnectedness of all things, right now. How much the mists are related to the gaijin are related to the campers Yohei and Azami found are related to the Vampire Ninja (oh yes I did) that's on the loose, to the paintings. What's everyone making of all this, given just what they know, obviously, and leaving out metagaming?

I'm feeling the pressure of mysteries piling up on just Tokine and SanPen.

We have attacks by thugs, attacks by Vampire ninja, social attacks on diplomats, threats of theft, odd messages, weird bouquets, mysterious scrolls, conspiratorial hirelings, court appearances, etc.

Once we hear of the others dealings, especially since we haven't met each other yet, we are going to have to pile together all this info and try to make sense of it.

And that was day one. Which ain't ovah yet.


Yohei doesn't really know much, but he's probably thinking the Wiener Ninjas and the dudes in the woods are connected somehow. As the Clan Sera's involvement in any of this, he thinks she's kind of a b+#&@ but nothing more than that :P

Also, FYI - I'm on vacation this week so posting will be sporadic.


Yohei asked for an NPC gallery earlier and I never did post it until now because I wanted to include a bit of info on all the Clans/Houses as well. So here, in no particular order, are all the Clans and some of the main NPCs that have come up. Don't hesitate to ask for further clarification, etc.

Clan Motomo - Merchants and tradesman, bourgeois, only recently come into land and arms.
Clan Oda - Artisans, geisha, poets, actors, a very peaceful and ancient house, beloved by all
Clan Endo - Warriors born, as ancient as Clan Oda. It is said they are the oldest Houses and represent the primal Yin and Yang of the Empire, and predate the Empire.
Clan Konoe - Another younger House, with no great scion coming up. It is possible a power grab by another merchant house may remove their land and title
Clan Hoshi - Clerics and librarians, wizards and scholars, similar to Clan Oda in their pacifist ways and popularity in the city
Clan Sera - ambitious, talented, rich, powerful, loved and loathed in equal measure throughout the city
Clan Shoto - Chief rival of Clan Sera, and similarly gifted in the arts, politics, war, etc.
Inspector Cho (deceased) - friend of San Pen, murdered by a vampire of some sort. Or was he? Either way, he claimed to know something about the scroll cases Tokine found and their relation to the Chan Dynasty and possibly the Plum Blossom syndicate and the man known only as the 'Scarecrow.'
Rhon Tai - wandering elven rogue scholar/mage, friend and mentor to Erudima
Earanthil - Pretty-boy half-elf sorcerer, associate of Rhon and Erudima
Princess Erudima del Fana del Solarian - Very young, inexperienced, and painfully naive scion of the immensely powerful noble elven House del Solarian of Mamban, controllers of trade and enterprise.
Ghar - Elven Rogue, associate of Erudima, hired Daveth to scout outside the city for a rather large sum of money.
Gilly - Dwarven cleric, associate of Rhon and Earanthil and Ghar and Erudima.
Naradil, Gwen, Fezza - three brutal and brutish gaijin warriors -- all Gorumites -- who helped defend Tokine's temple from a strange assault by rather unprepared thugs of some sort. Were supposedly looking for a friend.
Sera Zhongyi - elder scion of Clan Sera, a lethal warrior in the traditional sense, and generally feared throughout the city. Champion of inter-dojo competitions, champion duelist, brilliant strategist. Assumed she will oen day command the armies of Clan Sera, or possibly even be a military commander for the Emperor himself.
Sera Aki-Kirei - One of the greatest beauties in the empire, as talented in the arts of subtlety and intrigue as her older sister is in the arts of war.
Mists of the City - a barometer of the pulse of the city, the tempo of the people, the blood of the empire, among other things...
Xun Rui Bao - owner of a cartage and storing company, possibly the last person in the city of Lanzhu to have spoken with Bethany Erodal
Lu - lame manservant of Xun Rui Bao, caught by Azami Ito lurking in an alley as an Erinyes 'tested' Kyras.
Bethany Erodal - oddly well-connected sister of Kyras 'Dragonborn' Erodal, disappeared a while ago.
Vu - Drug-addicted fox spirit (Vulpinal Agathion from B2), Bethany's personal assistant.
"Wong Tsai" - affiliation unknown, erstwhile servant caught by San Pen planting plum blossom arrangements in a circle of power in the main receiving room of the palace. Chased by the Sifu and a couple guards but managed to escape.
Guard Capatain Takagami - captain of the palace guard, friend to Yohei and Azami.


Also, here is an example of the "crescent moon and seven stars" emblem I've been referencing: a slumbering crescent moon circled by seven stars. It's not quite right -- that pic is some Freemason thing -- but that's the general idea.

Also also, plum blossoms are very beautiful.

^_^

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2013

I am digging this game utterly, even though I have somewjat been going it alone. I am certain theses stories will intersect and be very rich by the time Imuri is traveling with the rest of the party consistently.

I love the rivalry with the Sera sisters, and that you are willing to put up with my typos and the extra portions of attention Imuri heaps on himself with his hat and willingness to jump from one errand to another. I promise to go get rest after my 'lesson' with the ronin sensei. : }

I also think everyone's writing is exceptional, and I have been especially impressed with Tokine-san. Great game, all!


Thanks for that Steven. And I agree the writing has been fantastic on this adventure. And what a day! We just hit post 650 at the end of Day 1. That was intense. For the Curator to plan her day around having tea and visiting the Palace, to end up burning through almost all of her channel energies and most of her 3rd and 2nd level non-optimized spell list in between seeing the Emperor and vampire ninjas Yeah..that was a day!


Yeah, you guys are all awesome at this. Loving it! ^_^

It's appropriate that Imuri start off on his own, I think, and it'll be interesting to see how it goes once the connections start being made and everyone starts working together, even if only for chunks of time. I was really fascinated by the encounter between Imuri and Tokine and San Pen. That was pretty damn terrific, everyone playing their cards pretty close to their chest.

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2013

Yeah. WHat I hope now is that Imuri doesn't get himself killed. He's got a very busy day tomorow and will die better during some of those encounters. : }

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2013

And now I see that my post was eaten. I'll try it again, but I'll be bummed if the rolls aren't as good.


Female Human Samurai 11, HP: 84/128, 3/4 Resolve, 1/4 challenges

I've not been reading much of the other threads of the other characters in order to try and keep that meta knowledge from my head. But so far, I feel like the web is being designed, and we are being pulled in.

In a good way, of course. ;)

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