This space is for the official, formal business of court. Please employ the Court Actions rules to interact in this thread.

The arrival of the Imperial Officers occurs today much as it has the previous two. Today, however, it is the Emerald Champion who rises to conduct the affairs of state.

"Good afternoon, Tenno-heika and Honored Delegates. Today, we are blessed with..."

There is the sound of a throat clearing, and then a hoarse voice raised to quite a volume drowns out that of Kakita Hajime.

"Enough of that! I am on my feet!"

It would appear that the Empress has something to say.

Hajime bites down on his words and turns to look at the screens around the throne, where, indeed, it does appear as though the Empress' silhouette is standing. He quickly steps aside.

Retsuhime continues.

"It has been brought to my attention that there is another candidate for the Imperial Succession. My uncle, Hantei Muhaki, had a son by Sadahako the Fortune. This son was hidden from the Empire and has lived his life as a ronin. The reasons why are mine to know and way beyond any of you. I've sent out a team of delegates to retrieve this potential heir and bring him here."

The silhouette sat back down with an "oof" and waved a hand behind the screen. "That's it. Carry on, Kakita-san."

For just the briefest of moments, a shadow falls over Otomo Keihime's face, but it is gone well before the Empress stops speaking.

For his part, Hajime turns back to face the galleries, his smile back in place.

"Well, I think that concludes the announcements! Today's court is now open for the business of the delegations."

Kakita Hajime has opened the floor for courtly business. The TN for Court Actions with Kakita Hajime presiding is 26

It is surprisingly (at least to him) Doji Hikaru who steps forward first and offers a bow

"Greetings honored Champion. It is my honor and privilege today to present a motion on behalf of Daidoji Sae, who is part of the contingent that the Honorable Daughter of Heaven spoke of." Hikaru stands and cracks open a scroll left for him and reads aloud, his voice soothing and strident at the same time.

"The Lion and Crane seek to renew ties with each other, both with the exchanging of goods, and with bond of matriony. May peace reign eternal under the guidance of the Daughter of Heaven. The proposed exchange of goods is listed thusly"

Hikaru continues reading the litany of the full arrangement as he had seen presented, his voice never breaking, the years of training as actor and poet serving him well as he does not waver. When he completes the litany, he bows once more and waits for a result
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OOC: Submiting on Sae's behalf with player permission.

Details:

Crane/Lion Deal wrote:
Crane sell: 5 iron, 6 tea
Lion sell: 3 copper, 7 rice + Lion art service + marriage (Lion into Crane) and agree to a peaceful rapprochement.

D4 MA- Court Floor - Introducting Position - Courtier/Awareness - 1 called raise - TN 31 - Benten's blessing for +0k1 - VP spent | 8k6 ⇒ 35 (TN: 31)

Pass with one raise for 15 Court Points.

EDIT: 1/4 Court Actions used

Masumi stepped forward, much over her little hiccup from the day before apparently. "Based on this one's understanding, this proposal has been deliberated over by both Clans and has gone through extensive alterations. It seems it would be a harmonious agreement." She glanced at each member of the Lion delegation, confident that this wasn't folly.

---

D4 EA Court: Concur with Doji Hikaru / Trade Deal, Courtier / Awareness TN 26, Benten's Blessing | 6k4 ⇒ 36 (TN: 26)

Kakita Hajime's clever smile seemed to widen a bit as he turned to raise an eyebrow in the direction of Matsu Tsuruyo.

And Lady Matsu merely folded her arms and looked away, as clear a rejection of an offered intervention as ever there had been.

But Matsu Tsuruyo was not the only avenue of opposition. A fan shot up and opened, fluttering madly as a woman of advancing age (and yet, in a strictly legal sense, in the blaze of youth), stepped onto court.

"Kakita-san! I have an objection to this treaty! Indeed, this treaty posits a marriage between the Right Hand of the Empress and the Crane clan! For a generation, we have known such arrangements to be unacceptable. The Empress, in her majesty, rejected a Crane spouse as just recompense for their perfidy in the reign of her grandfather. And it is shocking that the Lion clan would so casually toss aside the ties of devotion the Empress forged with them when she wed Matsu Hideki."

Otomo Mariko had, by this time, worked herself up into quite a tizzy. From behind the Empress' screen, a series of coughs and wheezes could just be heard over the steady beating of the fans of the Imperial Delegation.

"I, the Imperial Nakodo, was not consulted in this matter, and therefore I am entirely unsurprised that it is so unorthodox! Let the Lion accept a gentle steer from this court, I beseech you. Enforce the will of your Empress!"

[Otomo Mariko advances her position, that the marriage should be struck from the deal. She calls 1 raise. +15 Court points for Otomo Mariko. TN to refute: 31]

Either before or more likely after his chat with Soshi Eiji, Shinnosuke is on hand to support his clanmates and the Lion. He gestures gracefully with his fan for recognition, then bows to Mariko, Hajime, and the other dignitaries.

"Oh, dear, it was never our intention to make the Imperial Matchmaker feel excluded from all this. Otomo Mariko-sama's skills will be most valued in formalizing this betrothal." He smiles winningly at Mariko, for what that's worth. "In truth, since we all learned that the child of a happy Crane and Imperial union is among those fo--er, five being considered to inherit the Emerald Throne, it seemed clear that ties of marriage between the Crane Clan and the other nobility of the Empire are no longer so offensive to the Throne."

"Besides, this, both parties to this agreement feel that given the recent unfortunate bloodshed and enmity between our clans, the very closest and dearest of human ties--the tie of kinship, conjugal union, and children--is called for to seal our pact of peace today. We have seen the trend in recent years and days of using court as a clearing-house for mere agreements between merchant patrons over goods, but our agreement is of a stronger and more solemn kind."

His bright eyes flash toward Akodo Sanae. He'd thought he might have impressed her on the first evening of court, at her party; hopefully she won't be disappointed in his sally today.

--

D4 EA Court--Refute Mariko (tn31), Bentens, Prodigy, VP, 1 raise | 9k6 ⇒ 64 (TN: 36)

I think this removes 15 CP from Mariko? Sorry, auntie!

Also hopefully trading on some "goodwill of Akodo Sanae" from D1 event...

1/3 Court Actions used

Edited again because I forgot to take out the placeholder notation at the top.

Now was the time.

Soshi Eiji also had some choice words for the Imperial Matchmaker. Well, they were really going to be near her, as she served as a convenient jumping off point for what he actually wanted to say.

He bowed respectfully as he approached the court floor and the Imperial Matchmaker.

"Otomo-sama," he said addressing the matchmaker. "Have you not been in court the past couple days? I have not seen you, but among so many bright blooms of the Empire, perhaps I overlooked your own radiance."

He did not wait for an answer, moving forward like she had said she'd been absent towards the Lion contingent.

"Why just two days ago, Ikoma Ryota, most honorable daimyo of the Ikoma and most gracious host of this court recognized that Doji Noriko was the first cousin of the Empress and bore both the noble blood of Doji and Hantei." he said with a courteous gesture towards the host, before moving slightly closer to the Seppun for dramatic effect.

"When Seppun Tomaru, a man who has served the Imperial families with a lifetime of honor had said honor brought before the court for discussion as if the doubts of those who hide in shadows could wipe out a lifetime of honorable service, do you know what happened?"

At this he strode over to the Crane contingent.

"Among the many voices that said 'No!' 'Never!' It was Doji Noriko's voice that rang out like the most graceful battlecry. She recogniized that to strip a man of his position for mere theoretical reasons was to spit on the very concept of honor. She would not stand idly by and she defended his honor, his humility, she proclaimed him no danger to the court! And what could the court do when she spoke to it thusly? To withdraw the petition immediately, and consign it to the ash heap of history!"

He was really going at this point when he completed the circuit back to the matchmaker.

"And so, I pose this question to you, Otomo-sama, for you have so often shown us the wisdom of one of your station. " his voice dropping back down from the roar it had been a moment of ago.

"If there is so noble a person as Doji Noriko, who bears the blood of Hantei and Doji, who bravely defends the honorable from the honorless in this court, who is under consideration as a possible heir to our most Divine Empress, does it not stand to reason that one should not consider the idea of marriage to wear her colors, who are related to her no matter how distantly, that it should not be considered...repellent? Does courtesy not demand respectful consideration between samurai whose honor is unquestioned? I believe the answer is obvious. Thank you Otomo-sama, I hope to see more of you in court."

And with that, Eiji exited back to the gallery:

Deploy Broad Courtly Techniques-Herald of Glory: Target: Doji Noriko (26 vs. 20 Pass. +3 Glory to Doji Noriko.

Hoshiko takes a breath. Her Fortune is all too near the court this year, and she cannot shirk her duties or conscience under those eyes.

"To reiterate yesterday's point, though with far less artistry," she nods acknowledgment to Shinnosuke, "are we to watch the court become a marketplace with fancier clothing as this punishment endures through another generation and becomes not just a tradition for the Crane...but as we have seen, everyone else deeming it proper to conduct plain commerce through this court? Didn't yesterday's events drive home the spiritual maladies the Empire faces? We ought to be creating more marriages, inviting the fortunes and spirits to bless every one, and hoping it restores some balance."

She shakes her head, glancing to Mariko and saying lightly, "I suppose with so little work left to do, you'll be able to enjoy a well-earned retirement?"


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D4 Court: Introduce Position Courtier/Awa VP for +1k1 1 raise | 8k5 ⇒ 40 (TN: 31)
It is proper for agreements to be bound around a marriage to bind clans and create a reason for trade, and the ban has created a cultural slide toward mere mercantile activities and spiritual emptiness.

15 court points
edit (action 1/2)

A Phoenix shugenja who has not often been heard before the court steps forward and, when recognized, bows and then speaks with all the steadiness of pure earth.

"Fellow honored servants of the divine empress," Shingo begins, speaking very calmly and measuredly. "There should be no dispute of the honor of the Empress, any of her heirs, or of the noble imperial servants who sit alongside us here. We all aim to advance the empress' will and thereby the best for all of the empire. But we will not always have the honor of such proximity to the empress, and so we must rely on our laws and established traditions to guide us in consistent concert with her will. There are reasons that certain marriages are within the purview of the imperial matchmaker, and it ought not be up to any clan to side-step this well -established process at their convenience. While our noble colleagues from the Lion and Crane clearly mean no offense or chicanery, Otomo Mariko-sama's position is the proper one to follow here, in accordance with imperial law and ensuring consistency of practice in this very important area."

He finishes with a deep bow and returns to the mass of courtiers, likely with a sea of fans fluttering at what three dimensional shogi this Phoenix is playing.

------
Support a position, Mariko-sama's: TN 26. success

Hikaru's mins races as a Phoenix of all things interjects but in a way that makes direct contradiction impossible...and left Mariko as the main focus.

Calm down Hikaru. You don't play the game. You play the players.

Who ultimately held power at this particular court setting? The Empress and Emerald champion. Doji Hajime-sama likely supported the measure but would need a justification, and one that could be used later as well. What would the Empress want then?

"By your leave Doji-dono, and by that of the Court, to my knowledge technically no matches have yet been arranged so that we could seek Otomo Mariko's guidance"

Hikaru suppresses a grin as he digs into the well of metaphoricam venom the Crane delegation had been holding since the day before

"I can understand the hesitation at precedent, but what is that to the will of the Empress, and our dedication to upholding it? Just yesterday, craven, slanderous whispers from some anonymous person filled the corridors, insinuating that Lady Doji and Lady Matsu would defy the Empress' wish for peace. Undoubtedly this fiend planned to use recent conflicts sharpen their vipers' tongue, but to this we hold fast! We would not agree to peace only to bring war the moment the letter of the paths was met, and so we shall shatter that slander, and the bond of marriage shall be another tether to our oaths"
__________
Court Action 2/4
Refute Otomo Mariko's Position
D4 Court - Refute Otomo Mariko - 1 raise called - TN 36 - Courtier/Awareness - Benten's Blessing | 8k6 ⇒ 44 (TN: 36)



20 Court Points subtracted from Otomo Mariko