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Post by Rakugo on Feb 19, 2018 3:57:32 GMT
Before Session 1 (Scheduled for March 6th), for between 1-5 Bonus XP, respond to this post with a narrative of how your character ascended from their prior station in life to the honorable service of an Emerald Magistrate to the Emperor and the Emerald Champion. For example:
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Post by Soshi Kagemori on Feb 26, 2018 23:56:23 GMT
An Excerpt from the Life and Times of one Soshi Kagemori
It was an old truism that what was easy and what was right infrequently intersected.
Regrettable. But true.
The man reeked of sweat and sickly sweet smoke. Sallow skin, hollow eyes, and clothing that draped over him far too loosely to be fashionable wove the tale of a dealer far too gone into his own stores. The thin gauze that draped half of his face in a sad imitation of a Scorpion mask did little to conceal the raw hunger that lurked just beneath the surface. This man had been listening to dragons, and had almost caught one.
Kagemori frowned underneath his own mask, ensuring it didn’t touch his eyes. The preparations had taken so long, he was amazed there was any left to buy. Had they waited a few more weeks, this entrepreneur would undoubtedly be on the wrong side of the soil.
It would be a sad take, in a few ways.
Still. There were customs to be observed. He surveyed the trio of crates laid out before him. The lid had already been cracked on one to display the wares. More importantly, the cartel sigil on the interior of the crate was now visible.
“How much for the lot?”
“four hundred and fifty koku.”
“A bushi’s ransom friend. So much, for so little? I was told this was nearing the end of your stock. Surely the highest quality left with the earliest customers? I cannot imagine such an honorable man as yourself preserving the best for last.”
The dealer’s eyes narrowed as he parsed through this in a opium thick fog.
“Trust me, a few lungfuls of this and you will be well through the fog and into the dragon’s mist. We mix it here ourselves – using only the finest plants and most skilled apothecaries. Our product is renowned from the Seikitsu Mountains to the River of Gold. I judge quality on effect, friend….what did you say your name was?”
Kagemori scanned the room again briefly. Two thugs by the barred door he had entered by. Two more watching over the wait staff working in the smoke filled back to keep the clientele topped off. A handful of men scattered amongst the mats and pillows thrown out to cushion them from their drugged stupor. Poor odds for a fight, truth be told, given that he was the only one on his side currently in the room.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the plan.
“Soshi Kagemori. Second son of Soshi Arashi. And I don’t recall you working for the Soshi cartel. Which seems odd, given that your product has the markings of that very enterprise. See?”
The rooms dull roar fell to a precipitous silence.
“In fact, I dare say I even recognize this crate as one that was supposedly washed away when its caravan met with unexpected rains two months ago. Curious, that. Where did you say your apothecaries did their work?”
It was a preposterous claim. Kagemori had no more seen each individual shipment of Soshi Cartel opium than he had Amaterasu on his doorstep. Still, appearances. Truth be told it could have been any one of the dozens of crates the cartel had hemorrhaged over the last few months. Some innocently enough. Some less so.
But Kagemori was betting this dealer didn’t really ask where his stock came from, so long as it came cheaply. So he kept his gaze focused and his aspect calm and offered a small prayer that the man didn’t order his guards to beat him to death and dump the body in the river.
Kagemori was capable of some excellent comebacks, but that would have been a stretch.
The dealer gulped and visibly steeled himself.
“You must be mistaken, and I’ll not be insulted in my own house, Soshi or not. Get the hell out of here while you can still walk.”
“You should think, very clearly, about what you’re doing right now. You can threaten me. You can have me killed. But doing either of those things will bring the Cartels on you. You’ll live a long life regretting that.”
“Why do I hear an ‘or’?”
“Or. No one has to know about this. I’m not part of any cartel. I’m certainly not a lord of my house. A crate that fell off one wagon, can surely fall off another. Everyone knows that.”
Not long after that Kagemori found himself walking along rain slicked cobblestones carrying a crate of cured opium to help him forget his troubles – and perhaps the troubles a few others.
Not long after that he found himself explaining in exquisite detail how he would testify that he, on his own, had caught a local merchant and pillar of the community selling Soshi Cartel opium in direct contradiction to Imperial Law. Certainly, the man would claim independence – membership in one of the illicit cartels carried a much higher penalty than an independent operation.
But with his own noble eyes and ears Kagemori had seen and heard the man profess to selling the opium. A confession to the sale of Soshi product. And, to buttress this, authorities would find two additional crates of Soshi merchandise in the same den.
The Imperial Magistrate was impressed at the initiative, the grace, and the conscience of a man willing to impugn his own house in the pursuit of Imperial Justice. The Soshi Cartel was pleased that an independent broker had been dealt with.
Everybody won.
Well.
Everyone that mattered.
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Post by Doji Tsukiko on Mar 2, 2018 4:43:53 GMT
Excerpts from letters to Shugenja Kitsu Akito-san, spanning approximately 10 months
Akito-chan,
I believe I met a relative of yours in passing today. He was playing go in one of the gardens and the sun was glinting just so-- and you know what possessed me. He seemed amused, and accepted it graciously. It was not nearly my best work to be sure, or really up to standard, but perhaps the sketching of mountains in the background with a comical ruffed cat curled up at its root did the trick. Not exactly subtle. I will include the poem for your pleasure. I will have some work for you soon. ~月子
猫 山 冬 の 上 の 待 太 海 機 陽 光
Akito-chan,
I was very pleased with the drafts from our meeting. The night sky seemed quite auspicious that evening. 晴耕雨読! We may as well go ahead with our plans. Your distant cousin has given me some work of my own as well; my skills in calligraphy will be put on display. We will see if anything comes of it. I have demonstrated my skill in poetry several times in his presence since I first met him so I suppose it may match what he needs. Pray to the Fortunes for me, yes? The paths your cousin walks are strewn with lotus. ~月子
Akito-chan,
You will be glad to hear that I can discuss topics other than art amongst mixed company, friend. Though I must interject that I've been hearing some talk about our latest amongst the ladies, so I encourage you to find a reason to visit- if only to see your cousin. . . . I know you are aware that well-crafted brush strokes can convey meaning beyond meaning. May I indulge in a moment of pride to say the work I crafted for your cousin, though the format may be humble- a mere invitation to a dinner party- it may be my most exquisite in subtlety? Kitsu Yoshika-san thought so as well. I was able to attend his side at points throughout the evening... it seems there was an obstinate situation he was dealing with. An obstinate situation to whom my invitation went. Even those who cannot see may be a lover of the arts, and may have ears for certain music. ~月子
Akito-chan,
The moon may know little of time, but the heart does. My friend, are you certain you cannot move to court? I am certain Yoshika-san would be pleased to have another relative nearby. He has been inviting me to most of his gatherings as of late- in part, I think, due to you. . . .
Akito-chan,
My friend. Remember those auspicious night skies but half a year ago? We followed the counsel to cultivate when we could, and well... It seems I have received an appointment to Emerald Magistrate. ~月子
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Post by Togashi Tenzo on Mar 4, 2018 8:12:01 GMT
Togashi Tenzo to Domon the Pony on route to Ryokō Owari Toshi You maybe wondering how I got here… Well....... it’s a interesting story and it starts with my great grandmother telling me that I looked like her great grandfather. I wasn’t sure what that meant but I now have some sort of idea. He was Togashi Sakata and he was a great warrior monk. More importantly, he was a drunk. Like me. He developed our family’s secret drunken fighting technique. Of course the rest of the family has traditions and ‘self respect’ to do such a thing and preferring Bushido or other forms of Hitsu-do. Togashi Sakata was a hero during the Destroyer War and he unleashed a powerful, fiery belch of sake and dragon tattoo magic to burn is enemies! THAT'S RIGHT DOMON A BELCH! However, the only place this is written is in an old family journal. It was mentioned as Dragon’s breath but no means to recreate it. BUT! With practice and meditation and my natural gifts in Hitsu-do, I’ll get it in no time. I have been practicing a forum of my own drunken fist and I have been very effective in keeping the peace. Although, I usually wake up at home or leaning against a rock the following morning. I know have impressed some people with my martial arts and my unorthodox methods... So maybe... That is why I’ve been appointment to the Emerald Magistrate so I can use my skills for good. This 'City of Lies’ won't be so scary! Find my center and I think that I can be a good example to the people there and show them the way to enlightenment…
LOOK DOMON! We are almost there! Let’s celebrate with a DRINK and a CHEER! The School of the Undefeated of the North! The winds of the King! Zenshin! Keiretsu! Tempa Kyouran! LOOK! THE EAST IS BURNING RED!!
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