Thursday 28 February 2008

session 2

We played the 2nd session last night finishing the Topaz Championship. Here is Dave's recounting.

Suzume Tomo-sama e

Autumn clutches leaf,
Jade turns to bronze upon the
breeze, Tree sheds its gold.

Father, I have news of much import, after the second days activities of the Topaz championship had drawn to a close, my friends and I were returning to the sleeping quarters, when we came across Bayushi Denbe standing over the bodies of 3 ninja and Doji Wakao of the Crane. Doji-san was dead when we got there, and Bayushi was lightly injured. They had been rumoured to be arguing over a lady they had a mutual interest in, but I am unaware of the precise details, and do not wish to cast aspersions based upon court rumours.

Upon our return to the main hall with Bayushi-san, we were met by the Emerald Champion no less, he was an impressive man, with an inspiring aura about him. He analysed the situation and was about to adjudicate when Usagi Kamahime of the Hare Clan accused him of murdering the Crane. Bayushi-san instantly responded by challenging her to a duel the next morn, which she accepted. I awoke early to observe the duel, and I must admit that I hoped that Usagi-san won, as I had enjoyed a few conversations with her, and she seemed short-tempered, but interesting. Alas it was not to be, and the suns first rays caught the hare’s last moments. Kuni Shinechi of the Crab, was not happy about this, but contained her anger at the duel. She strikes me as unusual for a Crab, which is no bad thing! She is gruff, but very kind-souled, and rescued me from carousing Crabs, which is no mean feat, but an amusing alliteration, as the old Sparrow saying goes. It is all as Grandmother used to say “those who look out over a wall had better pay attention to the state of their kimono.” I still do not fully understand the meaning, but I believe I am on my way to finding out.

The next day I won in the first round of Iaijutsu duels against the Phoenix Shiba Takoko, but was bested by Bayushi Denbe of the Scorpion clan in the next round. It was a tightly fought affair, but Bayushi-san was my better upon this occasion. My cousin, Daidoji Hoshi lost against Miromoto Otakan of the Dragon Clan. I was very surprised at first, but upon observing Miromoto-san’s stance in the final I realised that he has great skill.

After all contests Miromoto-san was announced as the Topaz Champion, justifiably so as there was only one contest that he failed. He is a tribute to the Dragon clan. There is a Dragon monk who attended the tournament, Togashi Nagasaki, who I found intriguing. The Dragon truly are as you described, answering in riddles on one hand, and winning contests on the other.

I did the Sparrow proud, finishing joint second with Hoshi-chan. Bayushi-san finished third, so once more the Sparrow clan have held off the Scorpions! I decided not to mention the irony to him. Once the presentation was complete, Hoshi-chan and myself were approached by the Emerald Champion himself, and he offered us the positions of Emerald Magistrate, to travel to the area of Ryoko Owari in the Scorpion lands! I was therefore very glad that I had not mentioned the irony to the Scorpion.

I am honoured that the Emerald Champion himself would offer me a position as a magistrate and I swore an oath to uphold the respect the position holds. I intend to fully research the position and its responsibilities and become the best magistrate there is. I believe coming from the Sparrow Clan will aid me in this task as I have no ties to major clans and can act impartially. I will enjoy working in this task alongside Hoshi-chan, as he is one of the best swordsmen I have ever seen, even if he is loath to boast of his prowess. Kuni Shinechi of the Crab, Shosuro Sakura of the Scorpion, and Togashi Nagasaki of the Dragon were selected to assist us. I feel unworthy of their assistance, as they each have skills beyond my own. Shosuro is an unknown quantity at the moment, but her help will be invaluable as she is of the Clan whose lands we shall be in. Working with a Dragon Monk is an honour all of itself, and I am hope to return home soon to inform you further of our progress. How is Grandfather getting along? The Crab clan samurai very much enjoyed one of his stories which I recounted at the drinking party, so much so that 4 of them even closed their eyes to enable them to fully envision the scene. I was very impressed by their dedication to the story, and afterwards inquired after their names, and I have sent them the written transcripts so that they may be able to recount the tales to their fellows.

Well father, I must get on, but here is a poem I wrote in honour of my appointment.

Yo, check this shit out,
Sparrow Clan did kill this man,
Haiku funk you fool.

(Actually scratch that last one, it hardly seems fitting…)

Neutral as the sun,
Justice shines on all who breathe,
Emperor sees all.

(I prefer the first one)

Suzume Dirojiro, Emerald Magistrate.
(Destroyer of Worlds, e.t.c)

Wednesday 27 February 2008

Suzume Daiojiro journal

Not to be outdone here is Dave's;

1128-16-5

Suzume Tomo-sama e

私によってはあなたの病気が退いたことが祈る。ここの天候は冷たく育ち、夜は身長で育つ。冬は私達に偽りなくある。

私の手紙の理由はトパーズ選手権の私の進歩の言うべきである。私はを達成する十分なポイントをあなたが私に教えたレッスンのためのあなたに私の感謝を表現したかった今有し。他の武士は主に主要な一族であり、このでき事ですずめの一族を表すためにそれは自尊心で私を満たす。私はこれらの尊重された個人と競うために名誉を与えられる。
私は私達の一族を記念して詩を構成し、あなたにそれを表現するために書いている。

高いすずめの飛行
次の茶色の地球に
分散させた石、私の中心

探求のコンテストの間に、武士の1 グループは狂暴なクレーンによって攻撃されたが、私のグループはそれらを容易に回転する。私は無事だったが、コンテストのクレーン武士の1 つは殺された。攻撃者はコンテストに不名誉を持って来ることを試みて、私は恐れている成功したことを。私はリーダー、気高いドラゴンの武士の後ろの2 ポイントであるが、たった1 日が残ある、従って私は彼をつかまえてなくないかもしれない。

5 月木の取得からの花落ちる長い時間。
Keigu, Suzume Daiojiro

and the translation:

I pray that your illness has receded. The weather here grows cold, and the nights grow in stature. Winter is truly upon us.

The reason for my letter is to tell you of my progress in the topaz championship. I have enough points now to achieve gempukku and wished to express my gratitude to you for the lessons that you have taught me. The other samurai are mainly major clans, and it fills me with pride to represent the Sparrow Clan at this event. I am honoured to even compete against these esteemed individuals.
I composed a poem in honour of our clan and I am writing to express it to you.

“Sparrow flying high,
Over the brown earth below,
scattered rock, my heart.”

During the hunting contest, one group of samurai were attacked by rogue crane, but my group slew them easily. I was unharmed but one of the crane samurai in the contest was killed. The attackers were trying to bring dishonour to the contest, and i fear they have succeeded. I am two points behind the leader, a noble dragon samurai, but there is only one day left, so i may be unable to catch him.

May the blossom from the tree take a long time to fall.

My regards, Suzume Daiojiro.

Session 1 The Topaz Championship

My L5R Campaign is set pre Clan War and This is Rob's Character's Journal Written as a series of letters to his lord and sensei Kakita Toshimoko.

Greetings Toshimoko-sama,

I hope that this missive finds you well. The honour you do me and my family with a position at the Topaz Championship cannot yet be repaid. I will do all that I can to bring honour to you and your teachings.

I understand that Shino-san has also been chosen to attend. His skill is an equal to my own and a credit to your tutelage. I hope the steel of his ability is not engulfed by the flame of his ambition.

I remain your most humble of servants.

Daidoji Hoshi


Toshimoko-sama,

I am pleased to report the first two days of competition went well, despite a few disturbing events. My cousin Sezume Daijiro-chan of the Sparrow was also chosen to attend the championship, sponsored by our clan. I am sure that you must have had a hand in his selection and I thank you for extending this opportunity to my noble cousin. I am once more in your debt.

In the sumei I drew Hiruma Do of the Crab, a most worthy if exuberant opponent. I was able to direct him from the circle but I fear if he had caught hold of me he would have over powered me.

I fear I did not do you as much honour as you deserve in the test of my knowledge of heraldry. I must devote more time to my studies of the coats of arms of our celestial emperor’s honoured servants.

The following next event was the race. I drew against Shiba Takako of the Phoenix and Agasha Gojinka of the Dragon. Takako-san was more than my equal in swiftness and easily took the lead. Despite a hard fought pursuit I was finally able to see of Gojinka-san and took a worthy second place.

Honoured sensei, I must report that I believe someone is trying to sabotage the competition and cause harm to its worthy competitors. I do not wish to speak it out loud to Miya Shoin-sama or the other arbiters as I am sure this will drive the cowardly saboteurs further into their dark burrows. If you command it I will of course tell them everything but I would beg your indulgence in conducting my own exploration of the events.

During the Kenjitsu competition, I was drawn against the most praiseworthy Yuriko of the Mantis. She fought ferociously and struck me a tremendous blow but in doing so left herself over extended and exposed. I could have struck and ended the fight but I noticed that the padding on her Yumi had come loose and the gleam of metal was clearly seen below. I paused and called for the arbiters who called an end to our bout and ordered the other weapons checked.

That very evening, Kakita Shino-san was arguing with Mirumoto Otakan of the Dragon. I thought Shino-san was acting foolishly and trying to goad Otakan into a duel in order to shame him, but now I think he may have known something I did not.
Either way, the Dragon did not rise to his challenge and both retired to bed shortly after.

I dreamt that night of a great dragon of shadow clad in gleaming Topaz armour, coiled around Tsuma. Where ever The Dragon’s body touched, scorpions could be seen scurrying into the darkest shadows. I have spoken to no Shugenga of this but this omen cannot be good for this competition or our clan.

I composed myself as best as I could for the Haiku challenge. I earned a point form the arbiter but I do not believe mine to be the best effort. I must spend more time at court.

Myself and Daijori-san were drawn together for the tests of our knowledge of Bushido. My cousin did well and told a...detailed story to prove his knowledge of our guiding principals but I was able to argue a subtle point of honour to emerge victorious. Perhaps my lack of court attendance will not be as much of a hinderance as I had first thought.

Our task for the hunt was to retrieve eggs from a fish that is found in the forest lakes around Tsuma. Myself and my cousin were again selected together, along with Kuni Shinichi of the Crab, Togashi Nagasaki of the Dragon, and Shosuro Sakura of the Scorpion.

We travelled into the forest and kuni-san proved her worth. She clearly has a strong connection to The Ring of Earth as she summoned an earth spirit which easily allowed us to collect the eggs we required. Mere minutes after starting our search we were heading back to claim our victory when we heard sounds of battle from deep into the woods.

We ran quickly and came upon another band of competitors, including Shino-san, under attack from 3 dishonourable Ronin. Their leader wore a crude mempo and was fighting with great skill and a feeling of familiarity nagged at me. As we drew closer, the leader drew back his blade and cut Kakita Shino-san down in one slice, and with a back swing carved into Xuren of the Unicorn, dropping him to the ground. As our tattoed companion from the Dragon unleashed a blast of flame at him, I charged into to challenge him.

Forgive me Toshimoko-sama, but I do not fully understand what happened next. The leader called out to refuse my challenge but the voice that came from his lips was that of my father. He attacked me with great energy and skill and I was barley able to fend him off. He cut into my side with a flick of his Katana but I was able to counter attack. His blade flew to stop mine but fuelled by my rage I was able to move past his defence and cut him down. Fearing the taint of the Shadowlands I used a finger of jade on the corpse before Shinichi-san turned her powerful abilities on his body to remove any chance of the taint. The blast caught me as well and I am pleased to report that it revealed no taint on either me or the corpse.

Whatever dark force allowed the voice of my father to issue from the lips of this despicable ronin must be sought out and destroyed. I humbly ask that I be allowed to pursue this course.

Tomorrow sees a new dawn and the Iajitsu competition, which I have high hopes of doing well in. I will ensure that I do not shame you and will do my best to bring glory to you and your school.

I will entrust this letter to a trusted servant and I trust it reaches you swiftly.

May the blessings of the Kami fall upon you.

Daidojo Hoshi

2008 and L5R

Well This year has got off to a good start. Not for Blogging, but for other stuff it is going really well.

I have started a L5R Roleplaying Campaign and I expect this one to last longer than Deadlands.

Several of the Players are Writing IC journals so I will post them up here along with session write ups from me.