Days 4-6 are played simultaneously over the course of 3 Real-life days. This is possible because Day 4 is a full, roleplayed day, but days 5 and 6 are extremely limited. The Empress' death (you knew it would happen!) will necessarily constrict your ability to engage in politics as the Empire reels in dismay and confusion. You will be invited to participate in 2 scenes over the course of Days 5 and 6, each of which is dedicated to remembering the Empress and mourning her passing.

Meanwhile, the Empress' mission to retrieve the ronin Tatsuya, son of Hantei Muhaki and the Fortune Sadahako, will play out in a Choose-your-own adventure-style series of scripted Events and Scenes. They will take place in the River of Gold and Ryoko Owari subfora. Events in this context will present the team with a number of stages to pass. These stages need not all be done by one character. In fact, it may be better, or make more narrative sense, to divide them between you. As long as the rolls requested for the stage are completed successfully by 1 character, the stage will be successful. Unless the roll calls out a consequence for failure, in which case the full failure consequence is triggered with the first failure.


The normal days and hours schedule and Court with all its functions will resume with Day 7.

Day 4: The temperature today has a high of 51 (11 C) and a low of 46 (8 C). There will be patchy rain and 9 mph (16 km/h) winds. The Moon is waxing gibbous.

Day 5: The temperature today has a high of 53 (11C) and a low of 48 (8 C). In Kyuden Ikoma, it will rain all day without pause with 12 mph (19 kmh) winds. In Ryoko Owari, there is only a 10% chance of precipitation. The Moon is waxing gibbous.

Day 6: The temperature today has a high of 52 (11C) and a low of 46 (8 C). The rains continue, only breaking in the Late Evening. 10 mph (16 kmh) winds. The Moon is waxing gibbous.


EVENTS Days 4-6
Day 4: Kyuden Ikoma
LM: Event: The Liberation of Otomo Gorobei Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
EA: Court: Kakita Hajime presiding, The Floor, the Galleries
LA: EVENT: A Disturbance in the Force
EE: Scene of Interest: An Inauspicious Circumstance

Day 4: The Tatsuya Mission
EM: Scene: A Mission From God
MM: A Word Before Parting
EE: Surprise Inspection


Day 5: Kyuden Ikoma
EA: Court: The Empress' Death is Announced. All guests of the Empress are given leave to mourn the Daughter of Heaven in private.
In addition to the Court thread in which you hear the announcement, you may create or join 1 thread on D5 to describe how your character reacts to this momentous news.

Day 5: The Tatsuya Mission
MM: Papers, Please!
LM-LA: The Long Wait Lengthens
EE: The Governor's Office
ME-EN: A Ronin in a Haystack
MN: The Hinge of Fate
LN: Escape Upriver

Day 6: Kyuden Ikoma
EA: Court: The Empress' Funeral will, of course, be held in Otosan Uchi. Delegates are, however, invited to use this thread to make speeches in remembrance of the Empress.
EE: Shugenja and Monk characters will be given an opportunity to bless the Empress' body before it is sealed away for later transportation.

Day 6: The Tatsuya Mission
ME: Bittersweet Reunion

Rumors

Overheard in the halls near the Miharu apartments:
Seppun Atsuke: The Empress had a visitor last night: that monk that was harassing the delegates yesterday. I was gonna tell him to kick rocks, but the Empress herself answered the door to him!
Seppun Fumiko: Really? How unusual! How did she look?
Seppun Atsuke: Fumiko-san, what a question! You know one has to avert one’s eyes! The Divine Presence!

Such crass jokes. I guess the liquor really is that good...

"That's odd."
"What?"
"Seem to be a lot of calls for works on Shiro Hana all of a sudden."

Overheard in the halls near the court chamber in the Mid Afternoon:
The Credulous Yojimbo: Asako Oburo tells me that this Tatsuya has been carefully protected by water spirits answering to his divine mother for all these years! How miraculous!
The Jaded Courtier: And how does the learned Oburo know this, hm? No one had ever heard of this Tatsuya until five minutes ago! Keep an eye on him, huh? If he’s already making a move, it might just destabilize the Phoenix delegation when he falls flat on his face

If there was any doubt where the Seppun stood before, there is none now.

"Can you believe that Otomo on the front desk?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"I mean, who pissed in his miso?"

"Tch. That Otomo Tooru... it's like, have some subtlety, man. You're making the rest of us courtiers look bad."
"Right? Slow down, buddy. Spreading dirt about Lady Doji and Lady Matsu and trying to make that nice old man sound like some kind of assassin, all between one Hour of the Goat and the next? Leave something for the rest of the season."
"And in that outfit, too!" (TN 35)

"I heard there were armed prowlers in the Crane House last night!"
"Everyone heard that. They were talking about it in court, remember?"
"But did you know they were probably after Doji Noriko-sama and her children? What a blessing that she's so alert!"
"They won't try again if they know what's good for them. The Crane and Lion are both on the lookout now."
"Yeah, and I hear one of the Crane has a guard dog, too." (TN 30)

"Whoever spread that rumor about Lady Doji was clearly just the work of someone exceptionally petty, and just looking to cause trouble. Fortunately, most people are too smart to fall for that." (TN 35)

A Doji is never late, my dear. Nor is she early. She acts precisely when she means to. Next they'll be saying her bow is 3 degrees too shallow. Does everybody skip Volume 7 of the Complete Guide to Courtly Etiquette?

You'd be surprised how many people skimp and still work with the 2nd edition. It's this degenerate age we live in, I'm afraid. (TN 30)

Strange that nobody is sealing deals with marriages wrapped within them. The Crane have been forced to it all these years, but it's still the most visible way of marking the sanctity of a contract. Are the other clans avoiding them in solidarity? Or have they simply decided that it's apparently an optional bit of protocol now? Less need for Imperial matchmakers if that trend continues. (TN 25)

Overheard in the Market at Ikoma's Eye:
--Did you see those porters last night?
--Yeah! Weird fabric they were carrying. Never seen those patterns before.
--Those were no Tatami, either. Had to be gaijin work.
--Gaijin? Don't they know the Empress is in town?

Letters

A poem scribed in a clear hand is written on golden hued paper and passed around.

Court: Honor Questioned
Conflicts: conflicted suggest.
Crane perceives, corrects.

(Intent: A summary of the first debate of the third day painting Otomo Keihime as the villain and Doji Noriko as the hero; GoL 25)

A rather large scroll for a standard letter offering is delivered to Soshi Eiji, though many look at it on its way. The paper is smooth and plain, edges even. It is as blank as new snow.

From one of the scroll rods dangles a thin silk cord with a simple origami crane made of paper entirely stained with black ink. The other has a similar crane of white, with writing on it. Unwrapped, one side reads:

To achieve balance
Sometimes the flower must bend
Ikebana, and

When creating an Ikebana display, sometimes elements must be bent to display their true potential. All art is thus.

The other side concludes:

There is room for a story
Of many brushes attached

The letter itself is poetry...traditional. But certainly bends the rules to attach something that seems to ask for...more.
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OOC. The intent is a round robin story sent from person to person, with room on the scroll for each to continue the tale. (GoL 32)

Also, take 5 XP, because we love you.

XP spends take effect the next in-game day after they're made--so anything on Day 4 becomes true on Day 5.

Let us know, and have fun!

Which reminds me...

It's a new session! Per-session abilities and Techniques reset.

Get your rumors and letters in!