Kai smiles at Karval's reaction. "It's a specialty of my village." He passes the flask to Lang, "Don't drink too much, I don't know how long before I can get more."
He carefully glances at everyones' various weapons and smiles."A warrior is nothing without his a blade by his side. Do not confuse a cautious hand with being hot tempered.
Lang takes a small swig and hands back the flask. He smacks his lips and smiles. "Thank you." The various reactions around the table cause him to chuckle mirthfully. "It seems we are all bound to serve Satrap Shi, and no mere grunts at that. I wonder if we are being formed into a new unit? I haven't heard of anything unusual happening on Eastwall lately, what about y'all?"
Toph touches his fingertips to his ear and shrugs, his shoulders rising and falling with subtle bemusement, as if to say he'd heard nothing.
Karval shrugs. "I've heard nothing. I don't usually bother with matters that aren't my business."
"I've just arrived in town and haven't heard anything." Kai continues to drink his tea.
Ah well, maybe I'm just being paranoid. Anybody fancy a game of chess? He motions to the chess board sitting unused on a side table.
A small smile appears on Karval, but he quickly dispels it. "Certainly, I will play a game."
The hobgoblin reaches and takes off his backpack, before moving to sit at the side table.
Toph squeezes himself into a seat, turning the protestantly creaking wooden chair to better watch the board as he finishes off his soup.
This should be good.
"Excellent." Lang takes his place across the board from Karval.
"Ah, a clever opening friend. But I know it. He slides his pieces into opposition with a wolfish grin on his face.
Karval's eyes narrow. "Cute."
He reaches forward and makes his move. "I just thought I'd test you. It's clear you're no opponent to toy with, though."
He thinks I'm actually good at this!
Lang only grunts in response as he makes his second move.
Karval stares blankly at his lost knight. "Not...bad."
He is silent a moment, then he seems to recover himself. Eyes glinting, the hobgoblin advances a pawn. "You know your way around a square, Lang Xiao Bai. It's time to make some changes to the board, though."
Toph leans back in his chair, which creaks with dismay. A couple of quick signs later, he leans back forward, clearly intrigued.
Uh oh.
"Most impressive..." he says in a James Earl Jones like voice.
Then clearly missing the set up, springs Karval's trap.
Whatever Toph signed, it makes Karval place the next piece with enough force to rock the table.
Then the embarrassment is forgotten. The hobgoblin's eyes shine. "There we are..."
He moves in a flurry now, determined to press his advantage.
Karval is grinning. "There we are. The side of White has rallied. The board is changing once more."
By Erastil's bountiful b~@*~*$s he's beating me back to bedlam!
Lang's right eye begins to twitch slightly and he swallows visibly.
Karval keeps moving, though he's slowed down a bit now. "You're a good player. But my ridiculous tutor at least knew how to play chess!" Karval lets out what passes for a laugh. It doesn't sound like it's heard very often.
Kai watches the back and forth of the players curiously. Then after the first few moves turns back to his tea. "Who needs to be good with a toy when you are good with a blade."
Karval looks up at Tong Kai, not losing his cheer. "The blade serves the intellect. The intellect serves this little toy."
Toph smiles, pulls a brass knife from his belt, and carves
"Who tells YOU where to sail?"
Into his bowl, and tosses it to the Nagaji. When the ronin looks up, Toph mimes an extremely sardonic salute, twisting his hand over his breast and bowing deeply.
"Well, clearly you're smarter than you look. Well played Karval. Check mate, you win."Lang reaches over the board to shake hands, a grin on his face.
Karval stands and shakes Gui Lang's hand. "The same to you, Lang Xiao Bai."
He looks down at the game, and seems to remember something. Instantly, his look of barely-contained anger returns. "A quaint pastime, though the Nagaji is correct--compared to the power of iron or incantation, it is no more than an indulgence."
Kai catches the bowl and reads the scrawled question. When he notices the salute from Toph his eyes narrow. "My path is carved by duty, my ship driven by honor. I follow the way set before me by the unwritten code of loyalty that all warriors must hold to!" He stands up as he finishes the statement and finishes the rest of his tea in one swallow. He then slams the cup down on the table.
Kai watches the back and forth of the players curiously. Then after the first few moves turns back to his tea. "Who needs to be good with a toy when you are good with a blade."
"Well, now that I've exercised my mind, perhaps you could provide some exercise for my blade. Care to step outside and spar a bit? With padded blades of course." He picks up his Fauchard in one hand and motions towards the door with the other.
Karval picks up his cup of cold tea and takes a sip. The hobgoblin grimaces.
He smiles again showing his full grin of sharp teeth. "Yes a duel, most honorable of you."He bows and strides outside.
Lang follows quickly behind him. Once reaching the yard he waits for TK to be in position, then bows slightly and assumes a fighting posture twenty feet away from Tong Kai."Lets go."
Kai reaches back and unsheathes his nodachi. He closes his eyes momentarily and whispers as if to the blade itself, "Strike true." Then he bows and assumes a fighting stance.
Lang charges forward as soon as Tong Kai is in position and has finished his bow. He stops a couple paces from TK and uses the long pole of his Fauchard to sweep his legs.
The pole causes one leg to buckle but TK maintains his balance.
Kai maintains balance and brings his trusted weapon down at Lang.
Lang takes the heavy blow to his shoulder with a grunt. He dances back quickly and again brings brings his pole down on TK's legs.
This time Tong Kai hits the dirt with a satisfying thud.
With a single blow to the forehead Tong Kai drops Lang onto the dirt. "Today is not the day for my ego. he says woozily, before climbing slowly to his feet. "Thank you for reminding me why I normally try to keep my mouth shut." He bows unsteadily and hobbles back into the tea house. "Server! Wine, now! Lots of wine!"
Kai bows in return. "Good match, had you knocked me down the fight would've been yours. "
Toph sticks his trident in the ground outside and holds up his fists as if to start another duel. He rolls one hand over and over horizontally, inquiring "again?"
Kai looks at Toph's gesture, and then around for Karval to interpret. When Karval doesn't respond, he nods and motions for Toph to step into the ring.
Toph's eyes burn electric as he lurches forward, his cloak blowing as if in a gale, though not a lick of wind is in the air. His mouth opens in a soundless roar, his hood finally blown back around his neck, his dreadlocks whipping violently. With a supernatural speed, he whips a net from under his cloak and casts it over the hesitant Ronin, his sheer power and his opponent's unpreparedness outweighing his lack of form in the attack.
Tong Kai finds himself wrapped tightly in the copper-weighted net.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 20 Escape Artist check (a full-round action). The net has 5 hit points and can be burst with a DC 25 Strength check (also a full-round action). A net is useful only against creatures within one size category of you.
A net must be folded to be thrown effectively. The first time you throw your net in a fight, you make a normal ranged touch attack roll. After the net is unfolded, you take a –4 penalty on attack rolls with it. It takes 2 rounds for a proficient user to fold a net and twice that long for a non-proficient one to do so.
Karval watches with interest.
Lang stumbles back into the courtyard, his beard stained red with wine. He stops to kneel briefly and mutters something under his breath while he touches the wolf's head brooch that holds his half-cloak in place. For a moment his irises glow yellow like a predator's eye reflecting a torchlight. After a second he stands steadily to his feet, his stagger gone. Going over to lean against a wall, he relights his pipe and watches the duel.
The net flies at the ronin, but as it lands on his head he whirls it and wraps it up into a ball and throws it at his feet. "You think your net can catch me? Ha!" He charges forward swinging his weapon at you.
Toph grins wickedly.
I know it can.
With a sharp tug, he twists his entire body to the side, both dancing barely past the wrapped blade and pulling the net into his hand, but he is off balance from the ronin's ferocious attack, and his form is poorer still. He rolls backwards, springing to his feet just outside the Nagaji's reach, and spins the net again, rising the strands to envelope Tong Kai's weapon. He twists with a surprising finesse, and manages to; if barely; remove the wrapped steel from the dangerous Ronin. With a flourish, the net is back in his hand, and he begins to fold it deftly.