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The large man taps the hilt of his Wakizashi absentmindedly. Yes. He looks to be thinking about something. The silence drags on and it seems like he's finished speaking, but then he finally responds, This sword is named Soh, he says, as he touches the end of his Wakizashi. This, as he taps the end of the Katana, is Center of the Wall. Hid Yuo smiles ever so slightly as he brings the head of his Ono up and lets the haft slide through his hand. And this, as the end taps the floor, surprisingly lightly, is The Mortal Man's Destiny.
I think we're waiting on Isawa Katsuko? I'd suggest pushing on and gaining some momentum. If we wait for people for 2 weeks to post, I fear we'll end up dead in the water.
Hid Yuo stands impassively as the girl speaks. There is a slight curl at the corner of his mouth, almost imperceptible, but perhaps he might be smiling. Again, there is an awkward pause after the girl finishes speaking and before Yuo responds. He seems to be thinking about what to say, then, Men do like swords. This child has certainly taken to the gossip part of being a courtier. Lucky for me, I suppose.
Hida Yuo considers the question far longer than any would think necessary. He stands silently looking down upon the girl. Finally he speaks, Yes.
Hida Yuo turns and peers down upon the young woman. He blinks once as if considering the question. After this moment of thought he responds, Yes.
Hida Yuo continues to stand where he is watching Ameiko walk off to speak with Kurako. His armor creaks as he shifts and turns.
Hida Yuo continues to look about the room. He doesn't seem particularly concerned about danger, simply uninterested in the conversation at hand and oblivious to the young girl's stare.
Of course the Crane can dance. This child seems like the perfect person to get information from. She doesn't know better than to stay silent. A slight smile plays across Hida Yuo's mouth as he looks about the room, almost as if he's enjoying himself. Almost.
Hida Yuo follows Ameiko around the floor, his armor and weapon distinguishing him from the more sophisticated members of the crowd. Let's see how well this Crane handles me being in her business. He keeps his eyes on the crowd, slowly scanning. He seems calm and at ease, completely oblivious to how out of place he is.
Hida Yuo follows Ameiko though stands behind her at a bit of a distance. He doesn't even pretend to be interested in the business of those that surround him.
Have fun!
Hida Yuo nods almost imperceptibly after Ameiko speaks. He does not move until she does, but follows once she has decided to leave. Dancing or Archery. About the same, I suppose.
Good. Let's get on with this. Hida Yuo does not move, nor make a sound. He looks ready to wait forever.
A simple warrior. Amusing. A thought occurs to the large bushi, but he keeps it to himself. The group has been given one day to learn what they can about this woman in a court of the Crab. It is a good thing they have been provided Yojimbo, for in such haste, even the most calm of courts can be a dangerous place. How subtle can we afford to be with this time constraint? This could get interesting after all.
Well, I believe the Crane has been given her wish. Permission to investigate the court...and this pheonix girl. Hida Yuo stands silent as always. He, of course, has no questions. He simply waits as the others speak, listening to their questions, heeding the responses.
Hida Yuo hands over his weapons with a solemn nod, seemingly unconcerned. He follows his charge inside and proceeds with a formal bow. When ordered to sit, he quietly takes one. Hida Yuo does not seem uneasy with the silence, he, in fact, seems perfectly at home.
Hida Yuo stands quietly behind Yasuki Kurako, his gaze sweeping over the group in front of him. Interesting. What could he need that requires all of these people? The haft of his Ono rests easily on his shoulder and his face remains impassive. Other than looking them over, he gives no acknowledgment or greeting to those standing before him. A Lion. Everyone here is potentially dangerous, but he I will need to watch.
Hida Yuo stands silently beside Doji Ameiko, still casually holding his Ono on his shoulder. He appears as if he would stand there forever, waiting, if need be.
She is not surprised. Good. Brave, but perhaps not a fool. We shall see. Hida Yuo, he responds. Without another word he slowly turns and walks back to the small Crab woman who had sent him on his way. Approaching and standing quietly and patiently by until she has a moment to spare.
With a short nod, Hida Yuo turns slowly to look around the courtyard. Spotting the only Crane in a field of others was easy enough, especially when he could see over most heads. The massive Ono returns to its place upon his shoulder and he steps off toward the gliding Crane. He approaches silently, moving in as direct a manner as possible, stopping a few steps from the woman. Doji Ameiko. I am to be your Yojimbo. Yasuki Kurako wants me to speak with her once we've met. Hida Yuo makes no move to return, waiting quietly for the Crane courtier to respond.
The Yasuki nods quickly. ”My name is Yasuki Kurako. Kisada-sama has placed me in charge of running his court. Takakana-san informed me that you are to be assigned as yojimbo to an important guest. Her name is Doji Ameiko. With all the Lion about, I suspect she will need a protector. Can you do this?” Hida Yuo stands silently, looking down upon the small Yasuki woman. He does not move, nor does he seem to have any reaction whatsoever. He seems a statue standing in the middle of the courtyard as the others go hurriedly about their business. It only takes a moment for him to respond, but even the brief silence must seem to stretch into eternity for the harried Courtier. Doji Ameiko? A Crane? And brave, or foolish, enough to come here without a Yojimbo of their own. I wonder why. I can only assume Takakana hopes she finds this as an insult or that she upsets someone here enough for a duel. Dying while protecting a Crane. Other Crab would find that...disappointing. Still, I will do my duty. It does not matter what others think. Only what I can live with...and what I cannot. He replies simply, Yes.
One thing to keep in mind between Yojimbo and charge: The Yojimbo isn't a servant. They have a job to do and that is protecting their charge. It isn't serving them in any other way. They can agree to do so, if they want, but that's not their purpose. They have a duty and responsibility. And it has very little to do with the wishes of the person they are charged with protecting. As for status, it can, indeed get a little complicated. And thank god for that! Society is supposed to be complicated. :) But the main things to note are that Status is strictest when in the same hierarchy and being a Yojimbo and charge does not necessarily mean you are in the same hierarchy. But, higher status demands respect, so it does influence how people interact, or how they should "properly" interact.
Hida Yuo looks at the small woman impassively, slowly removing the massive Ono from his shoulder, it spins in his grip and the head deliberately taps the ground as it is held, like a walking staff, in front of him. He bows to the woman. Yes, he replies simply. Remaining silent, he stands before her seemingly patient as a statue.
The beginning of a game is always the toughest to gain momentum during. It's very bad for the health of a game to start slow and be held up by one player. Regrettably that means that sometimes you need to replace players early to keep the game moving, otherwise people start checking in irregularly and things stay slow...which leads to the death of countless pbps. It happens a lot at the start of games. I certainly hope Ayumi checks in soon, but if not I suggest looking for a replacement that can get us started quickly. And it's the easiest time to bring someone in. It's always a tough decision and I never envy a GM that has to make that call. As a side note, Sukrai, the player of Ayumi, posted under another alias about 6 hours ago. Here's hoping that they just haven't noticed that the game has started?
I think we may just be waiting on Ayumi? I generally like to post once a day, but it's understandable that sometimes one every two days happens (or slightly longer) when it's important for everyone to post. It's probably good for everyone to get an introduction post in before moving on too much though. With that said, there wasn't a posting requirement set in the recruitment thread. So it's a good idea to get the GM's expectations now. Slow posting and loss of momentum can really kill a pbp game but "slow" is entirely relevant to what's expected..
Hida Yuo stood among the other Crab Bushi returning from the Wall, but he did not appear to be one of them. Many of them looked like they needed a rest, none more so than those complaining the loudest. The rest were telling crude jokes and looking forward to some rest. But Hida Yuo seemed neither angry, nor happy at his current predicament. He simply stood among the others, quietly watching. A silent bow to Kaiu Takakana as he reports is his only movement. As he straightens, he hefts a massive Ono to rest on one shoulder. He moves where he is directed and stands where he is told to. Why am I here?
I think a good half the party are samurai that wouldn't be caught dead taking part in a Draw Lot play. They're a common occurrence in Crab courts, but many of the characters aren't Crab, or just wouldn't take part. In fact, *both* actual Crab characters are exceptionally poor choices to drag into one. Not a bad idea, just not so good for this particular group. Though, with that said, it may be a way for some of the character to have met?
That looks fine by me! Maybe Hida Yuo serves as a yojimbo to Shosuro Ayumi. He does this because he owes an Obligation to Hida Kisada, who denied Yuo's request for seppuku after the death of his wife and child. Kisada-sama trusts Scorpion about as far as he can throw them, which... well... okay, he can throw the average Scorpion pretty far. My point is that all Scorpion samurai without a yojimbo, are given a Crab escort. That's also fine by me. I just wanted to make sure it's not a disadvantage for Ayumi as Yuo is the one getting the points for it. But as long as they're cool with that, I'm cool with it. I expect that our interaction so far is that Hida Yuo has been the big silent guy that just follows Ayumi and hasn't actually said anything. Honor is more internal. It's about how the character acts and what they value. It influences how others see you to a degree (though only very insightful people as the roll is not all that easy), but it's not dependent on how other people see you.I'm a fan of the Honor Roll, so there's a concrete benefit to living honorably. As for Honor, are we not adjusting that before game as well? I'd just assumed we would be since it's even easier to alter than the other two, but reading back I guess that was never mentioned. Personally I'm ambivalent as to the Honor Roll system. I'm certainly happy to play with it, but also don't mind when it's not in the game. I just picture Hida Yuo as an especially honorable samurai and an exception to the standard Hida Bushi in that regard. But that can certainly be established during the game. And as far as Honor being internal, I just meant that it wasn't increased or decreased by what other people see your character do or things that other people know about the character. It's all things that they do or do not do. :) Which is why it's easier to increase/decrease.
Court is actually the place where most Glory comes from during this time period. It's a time of peace all over Rokugan and there isn't much opportunity for Glory in battle. Also the culture has a lot of respect for diplomacy and art. Then again, Ayumi seems to be really good at keeping a low profile. The thing to remember about Glory is that it's less about how much your character cares about Glory and being noticed and more about what they've done and who has noticed. So characters that want high Glory may not have it yet because they haven't had opportunities and characters that don't want it (or don't care) may have it anyway. Honor is more internal. It's about how the character acts and what they value. It influences how others see you to a degree (though only very insightful people as the roll is not all that easy), but it's not dependent on how other people see you.
Even minor skirmishes gain Glory. It's a slow rise, but steady. As a Lion, I'd expect that Akodo Takaji would have a moderate amount of Glory, but nonetheless still be disappointed. Some people may know his name, but more as a Samurai that is competent and consistent and not for what he wants. He seems to be waiting for that one great moment to separate himself from the pack. It just hasn't come yet. Maybe a 3? For Kuni Daigo, low is the standard for Monks. They gain half the normal amount of Glory when awarded. So even at a good pace, Daigo's Glory would be low-ish. Though witch-hunters are in a weird place, so I don't think it's out of line to have a bit more than the normal Monk. Even while being humble. After all, other people probably do a lot more talking about a Witch-hunter than the witch-hunter does. And being mysterious only enhances the image. :)
I think that's an excellent account of Yuo. I'd say that His Glory would be a 1. Any gains he may have made in battles have been met by equal losses or at least indifference. At *most* he'd have a 2. (And this would be a *huge* stretch.) His Status would be a solid 1. If he were more aggressive, he could be in line to be a leader among the Crab military, but as it is, he's as average as they come. On the other hand, I think his Honor would be quite high. He's an excellent example of Bushido in action with a person who is ultimately more self-aware than those around him. His quiet nature is an extension of his extreme self-confidence rather than any inherent shyness. He knows what his weaknesses are as well as his strengths. But this knowledge and acceptance of himself, while very Honorable, does not lend itself to the gaining of Glory. As to Yojimbo, I don't think it's necessary to match everyone up. Or even match everyone up as Bushi + other. (You could actually have Ayumi be Nagasawa's Yojimbo and assigned to keep him socially protected. I'm not sure that works given the characters, but it's an option worth exploring. Just very unconventional.) I only needed Yuo to be a Yojimbo as a way to connect to the game without having to be the one forcefully interjecting into the story, and to fill his Obligation. And having that obligation be connected to another character, even if the Obligation isn't directly *to* that other character, makes it easier to keep it interacting with the game.
Actually, being a Scorpion in a Crab court is the perfect reason to be stuck with a Crab Bushi Yojimbo. Mainly because the court would have gladly "gifted" Yuo to keep Ayumi safe and keep her from being able to move around easily. The Crab seem simple, but they're more familiar with deception than any of the other Clans (even the Scorpion). They simply don't practice it. However, this is my character's flaw and not your character's, so it's not a good thing to turn it into a disadvantage for your character. Which leads me to think that the idea of being Kuni Daigo's Yojimbo might fit best, if he's open to it.
Hello everyone, checking in and looking forward to playing with you all! I'm not opposed to some previous connections to characters. I expect that Kuni Daigo was present during the Battle of Twilight's Honor? In which case, Yuo and Daigo may have met during the Battle or afterward. He may even be familiar with Yuo's tragic loss following the battle. For other connections I think it's best that characters actually not be that familiar with Hida Yuo at the start. It's not that he's secretive, but if everyone around him treats him like he's smarter than he looks then he's no longer actually smarter than he looks. He's just smart. I would, however, like Hida Yuo to be recently assigned to Isawa Katsuko as a Yojimbo. As sort of a local guide and protector while she is here at the Crab Winter Court. With Kaiu Takakana hoping that having to escort a foreign Shugenja in an actual court would be a nightmare for Yuo. Beyond introductions and simple courtesies (of which he has few) they probably wouldn't have even talked. He'd simply follow her when needed. Though, reading back through the thread it seems like all three Bushi are looking at being Katsuko's Yojimbo. Perhaps Shosuro Ayumi's Yojimbo then? I expect that Yuo would have even less to say to her. I did notice that Ayumi's background has something to say about Yuo, though I'd suggest that such an insight would be almost completely impossible without ever actually having spoken to him. He really does look like any other Crab. (That is the intent of the character in any case.) It's not intended to remain a secret or anything, but it isn't something that even insightful people would get given he hasn't actually done anything. I suppose it's also possible to be Kuni Daigo's Yojimbo. Which would keep him in-house, so to speak. I'm not actually worried about feeling connected to the game. Being the silent guardian is sort of Hida Yuo's thing, so as long as he's a Yojimbo of one of the characters that has a reason for being around, he has a reason to be in the room. I think I like this last option the most. I think Takakana engineering this assignment would make sense. Thinking of the Kuni Witch-hunters as dangerous and hoping that whatever the hunter finds will prove deadly for Yuo. But I'm open to anything that the other players would think appropriate!
Would it be possible to make Hida Yuo's brother-in-law (and Sworn Enemy) Kaiu Takakana?I could indeed. Takakana is described as a charismatic, efficient leader, but if he does think that Yuo is, at least, indifferent to the death of his sister, or at worst, complacent. Sounds great!
Would it be possible to make Hida Yuo's brother-in-law (and Sworn Enemy) Kaiu Takakana? My intent is to make the point cost (3) more of a representation of how much time the character can devote to destroying Hida Yuo's life rather than his inherent personal power. Since Kaiu Takakana is clearly well above Hida Yuo in Status, Glory, and almost certainly IR. But it wouldn't be honorable to just kill Hida Yuo either directly or indirectly, he is, after all, related in a way. But he can withhold resources, manipulate situations to put Hida Yuo in difficult positions, and generally make things difficult for Yuo. In fact, he doesn't want Hida Yuo dead. He wants to keep kicking him down and spiritually torturing him. I'm not sure if that fits the personality of Takakana, but it could be a departure from his normal fairness and impartial nature (if he is normally either of those) because of the anger over his sister's death and being unable to accept that this man couldn't protect her and her son. Additionally, I'd like this situation to have lead to his current Obligation. Perhaps he's serving as a Yojimbo to the party's Courtier or Shugenja to offset the debt his Family is in because they've found it harder to trade and their ration of rice and jade have been lessened. Times are tight apparently. One of several humiliating positions Takakana has manipulated Hida Yuo into. (Not being a Yojimbo, but being one to offset a debt.)
Kyuden Hida overlooks the cliffs of Earthquake Fish Bay, which is home to the Crab Navy. (The bay has other names based on time period and which Clan is talking about it, but I think googling it will find all that info.)
I've updated the character sheet a bit. Added some history for his Daisho and Ono.
In that case, here's what I have so far of Hida Yuo. His weaponry remains unnamed, but that will change tomorrow when I've worked on him a bit more. Also, I have a vague idea of what and who I want his Obligation to, but I wanted to hold off on making it more concrete before input as well as seeing other characters it could possibly be connected to. As for the core concept: Hida Yuo is a quiet Crab and I hope, fits into a horror themed game quite well. My intent is for him to be strong and tough. He's surprisingly bright, but not brilliant and shouldn't overshadow a Courtier or even other Bushi built for that sort of thing. He's also surprisingly good in a duel. My intent there is to make him good enough to surprise people, but not so good as he'd be the equal to another character built around Dueling. As expected of a Crab, he hits hard and he can take a hit. He has a surprising amount of minor skills, but he shouldn't stand out in anything else. I've also made him a little older with the intent for him to be a little wiser, or at least less headstrong. sort of a normalizing voice for the group. Caution and Patience are his watchwords. Oftentimes a little too much. (The Avatar is also subject to change. I'm just trying to find the perfect one.) |