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Head First in to L5R RP!

759 views 2 replies 1 participant last post by  CaptainSarathai 
#1 · (Edited)
Well guys, it's happened. My group has gotten back together, sat down, thought it out, and decided. We're going to give L5R a shot. Our ever-possible 4th player is likely going to join the group later, so he and I will have to chat about the sort of character that he's bringing to the game. For right now, since this is our first play through, I asked the players what type of character they had in mind, and then did the actual character creation myself. This helps to keep things balanced, because L5R is so very different from the D&D settings that we're used to. Particularly, this allowed me to set up characters who would work well with their player, and keep their player out of trouble.

Setting:
This is somewhat important to anyone who has ever played L5R. Like most GMs I've met, I'm injecting Rokugan with a little bit more historical specificity, bringing it somewhat more inline with Japan than it already is in some areas (namely, the Gender neutrality of Rokugan politics is right out).

One of the biggest changes to my setting is that it is almost entirely non-magical. Magic exists but it is extremely rare, and while the Shadowlands is present, it is a threat rather than something which the players are likely to encounter altogether. Otherwise, the campaign is following the Four Winds campaign from 3e with the notable exception that the Crab/Crane conflict will be modified somewhat to have both parties being manipulated heavily by the Scorpion, and the Shadowlands and their assorted "big-bads" will be replaced with the (out of timeline, I know) foundation of the Spider Clan. So yeah - it's not quite the Four Winds, but it's based on the Four Winds and lets the party work together. The party itself is funtioning similarly the magistrates, although they are working for Toturi's Army instead of the Emperor.

The Player-Characters:
For this part, I'm just giving an abbreviated character sheet (players get the full version, obviously) and then the player's "meet your PC" packet. This packet also includes information about the setting and so forth, which you have gotten from me already.

Tsi Masamori - Tsi Smithing School
Insight: 129 - Honor: 4.5
Air: 2/2
Earth: 2/2
Fire: 3/3
Water: 3/3
Void: 2
Skills: Artisan (Sculpture), Commerce, [3] Weaponsmithing (Katana), Defense, [2]Kenjutsu, Meditation
Disadvantages: Compulsion (Sake, 4pt), Antisocial, Soft Hearted
Advantages: Great Potential (Weaponsmithing), Sacred Weapon (Kaiu Blade*)
*Given to the player to represent a similarly impressive blade of Oriole Clan craftsmanship.

The Tsi family of the minor Oriole Clan, form the craftsman arm of the Rokugani, and Masanori is no exception. His great-great grandfather was a peerless blacksmith, and ever since Masanori inherited his sword at a young age, he wanted to live up to his grandsire's name. Following this path, Masanori forged several high-quality blades. However, Masanori feels awkward and pensive in the presence of others, preferring the simplicity and seclusion of his forge. This marked Masanori out for exclusion and derision, and while his smithing skill remained valuable to the clan, Masanori himself saw his status slipping away around him. Masanori turned to drinking, and as such things always do, one problem compounded the next. Often too intoxicated to perform his duties at the forge, Masanori gained a reputation as a tragically failed artist at best, and a total failure to his Clan at worst. Gathering his equipment, Masanori set out for the wider world - eager to get out from the overbearing shadow the Crab and their Wall...

Masanori is a skilled craftsman, and swordsman in his own right. His swordplay is made even more deadly by his grandfather's sacred blade. However, Masanori cannot stomach death, and avoids conflict where possible. When forced to fight, he attempts with all his heart to merely disable or at most, maim, his opponents rather than kill them outright.

This character should be interesting, as this player is usually the one jumping headlong into conflict. The character isn't bad in a fight, but the mechanics make it a bit harder to get him into one in the first place. The lack of etiquette and status makes him a bit naff in the Court, which means that he'll have lots of idle time in which to perfect his smithing or combat his alcoholism. A simple blacksmith.
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Kakita Morinaga (aka Doji Yatsuko) – Kakita Bushi
Insight: 132 – Honor: 6.5
Air: 3/4
Earth: 2/2
Fire: 2/2
Water: 2/2
Void: 3
Skills: [2]Etiquette, [2]Iaijutsu (Focus), [2]Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Sincerity, Tea Ceremony, [2]Courtier
Disadvantages: Dark Secret, Driven, Lost Love
Advantages: Heart of Vengeance (Lion Clan)

The Bushi known as Kakita Morinaga is a myth - a result of tragedy which befell a young Doji woman many years ago. Doji Yatsuko was one of the few Rokugani fortunate enough to find true love. Her beloved was a member of the Kakita family, and a student of the Kakita Duelling school. During a winter court in Lion lands however, he answered a challenge to defend his honor, and was cut down by a Lion swordsman during what was intended to be a non-lethal duel. When word of his demise reached Yatsuko, she swore revenge on the murderer. This would prove difficult in practice, as women - even female Bushi - are not allowed to travel abroad carrying swords, or to engage in duels and battles. Yatsuko left her family, and adopted a new persona as Kakita Morinaga. With the help of her lost lover's mother, she entered into the Kakita school herself, and began to train in the skills which would allow her to one day confront, and kill, the Lion samurai.

For the female player. She wanted to play a male character in the last campaign we ran, so I gave her the opportunity to do nearly that in this campaign (I don't like cross-gendered PCs, it makes table-talk confusing, and can lead to odd situations between characters/players). The "dark secret" is her hidden identity. In typical L5R, that would not be quite severe enough to be considered a Dark Secret, but in my modified setting, discovery could lead to execution. Driven and Heart of Vengeance work hand in hand to represent the character's desire to be not only a great duellist, but to hunt down and exact revenge on the Lion who killed her love. The courtier skills allow this character to act as the party face, as the player enjoys roleplaying as much or even more than combat.
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Kitsune Joben ‘the Beast of Beniten Village’ – Yoritomo Bushi
Insight: 129 -- Infamy: 3.5
Air: 2/3
Earth: 2/2
Fire: 3/2
Water: 3/3
Void: 2
Skills: Commerce, Defense, [2]Jiujutsu (improvised weapons), [2]Kenjutsu, Knives (Kama), Sailing, Etiquette
Disadvantages: Lord Moon’s Curse(5pt), Infamous, Cursed by the Realm (Toshigoku)
Advantages: Wary, Large, Crab Hands, Strength of the Earth

The Kitsune family of the Mantis clan live in seclusion, and in harmony with nature. For Kitsune Joben, these close ties with the animal realm may have proven disastrous. Depsite a small and sickly chilhood, Joben grew into a hulking giant of a man. He is touched with madness however, manifesting in beastial outbursts of violence, and all encompassing fits of lunacy during nights of the full moon. Combined with his sheer size, his bloodthirsty and animal-like nature, with an almost super human resistance to pain, Joben is a horrific opponent if things come to violence. Unfortunately, things came to violence one night in the remote village of Beniten. Overcome by a fit of madness in the night, Joben descended on the village like a creature of nightmare - murdering a family and then rending apart two guards with little more than his bare hands and whatever blunt implements he could grasp. Joben awoke the next morning in a cage, sentenced to death. When a monk intervened and pointed out that Joben had no recollection of the events, and moreover that the Bushi lost control and wept openly for the destruction he had wrought, he was allowed to live under the condition that any night spent in Mantis lands would be spent in chains. Even though he was admonished of guilt for his crime, the stigma of what he did in the village of Beniten will haunt Joben for the rest of his life.

The most out-there character in terms of lore. He's essentially a non-shapeshifting werewolf - running the risk of becoming a wild beast of a man during the full moon. When functioning normally however, he is the party tank. Capable of utilizing any weapon at hand, and shrugging off blows which would incapacitate a lesser man, Joben doesn't go down easily.
This character will hopefully help to keep the player moving. The player can sometimes become withdrawn and just "go with the flow" of the campaign, going almost unnoticed at the table. The occasional fits of madness, and their fallout, should keep him engaged.
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Kitsuki Udo – Kitsuki Investigator School
Insight: 123 – Honor: 5.5
Air: 3/4
Earth: 2/2
Fire: 2/2
Water: 2/3
Void: 2
Skills: [3]Courtier, [2]Etiquette (Courtesy), [3]Investigation (Interrogation), Kenjutsu, Meditation, Sincerity, Lore Heraldry, Defense
Disadvantages: Missing Limb, Obtuse, Disbeliever, Bad Eyesight
Advantages: Gaijin Gear (eyeglasses), Read Lips, Bland, Clear Thinker

Kitsuki Udo is a strange man, even amongst the monastic, withdrawn Dragon Clan. The one-armed investigator is a slight man, and his poor vision is corrected only by a pair of wiry glasses from the lands beyond Rokugan. He is simple, preferring that which is plain and unadorned, and places no stock in the vagaries of faith. Nonetheless, he is an expert at getting to the bottom of mysteries, and either absolving others of guilt, or determining exactly where the blame should lie. Although not a Bushi, Udo still knows his way around a blade, and is capable of defending himself in a skirmish or battle.

This is the fourth character, who decided to join the game after all. Although I was going for a Bushi campaign, to keep things fairly basic, he wanted to play a courtier. I told him that we would not be playing a solely "courtly" campaign and that he should expect some fighting, so he decided to go with a Dragon Courtier, as they are actually still pretty good in a fight. Should be a fun character to see in action.
 
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#2 ·
Part 1: "The Prequel"

I edited the post above: I decided to rewrite the Kaiu Blacksmith as a member of the minor Oriole Clan, as they have a Tsi Blacksmith School which fits the character much better. Also, I added our fourth player, who will be joining us for the next session as a Dragon Clan Kitsuki Investigator.

For our first session, we played out the death of the ruling Emperor at the hands of the (Spider Clan) Ronin. This is the event which sparked off the Clan War and therefore lays the groundwork for the entire campaign.
I tried something different for this session. Instead of handing the players the character sheets drafted above, I gave them fairly basic Lion Clan Bushi, with Insight ranks in the very low 100's. The reason for this was twofold. Firstly, as none of the players have ever participated in a game of L5R before, this was an easy way to learn the basics of the combat and other mechanics such as the "roll and keep" system, and 'raises'. Secondly, I fully intended for these character to die. My players are coming over from D&D, and were always a pretty bloodthirsty group to begin with, so I felt the need to demonstrate how much more lethal the combat was in L5R, to dissuade them from drawing steel at every minor occurrence.

The plan worked. There was a little bit of build-up with the Bushi making non-combat skill rolls as they spoke amongst their peers on the road. One of the characters even got some exploding critical rolls and spotted hints of the impending ambush, leading to a series of 'social' type rolls where they attempted to persuade the yojimbo captain to take an alternate path. It was a half-hearted effort however, and doomed to fail.

When the ambush was actually sprung, things got violent. Having already experienced combat in L5R, I sent my 6 Ronin in against the 6 bodyguards in two waves - one group of three stayed back to fire with their bows while the other charged. Once the charge was broken, the archers would charge in and the groups would switch positions, allowing wounded Ronin to retreat and fight on with their bows.

True to form, the most warmongering player of the group (soon to be helming the 'softhearted' blacksmith) countercharged the oncoming Ronin and was cut down in the first round of the fight. He was caught between two opponents, and then hit with a critical strike; mortally wounded, he spent the rest of the skirmish attempting to crawl to safety.

The other two players put up a solid fight. The ladyfriend had decided to hold back, hoping that the "ambush" would merely be bandits trying to extort the caravan for coin. It put her in a good position when the attack was launched, as her location at the rear of the group of Samurai meant that she was safe from the opening volley of arrows. The other player fought up front, managing to kill an enemy Ronin and then severely wound another. He found himself close enough to his fallen friend to attempt to drag him to safety, and that proved his undoing - as soon as he stepped out from the main group of Samurai, he was caught out by an accurate volley of arrows and killed instantly.

The girl was the last surviving party-member, and she fought on for a long while, but L5R features a tiered wound system which imposes penalties upon your rolls as your character becomes distracted by pain. Eventually, the attrition wore her character down to the point that she was weakly swinging her blade around to keep the enemy at bay, until she too was finished off by the bowmen.

The entire combat took just five rounds. Seeing players and NPCs alike brought down with single attacks (at one point, a player killed an unwounded NPC with a critical hit from a knife) was a sobering experience for a group of D&D veterans. It may have worked almost too well, as now they seem somewhat afraid of getting into physical conflict. However, in the few sessions following, they'll get to see that life in the Rokugani courts can be just as deadly. To keep the introduction of the game going, I'm playing a variation of the Topaz Championship as a sort of entertainment for the Winter Court the players were attending, which the Emperor had been traveling to.
 
#3 ·
So we had our first official session yesterday, hot on the heels of our small warm-up game the night before. We were joined by the fourth player this day. I decided to change the location of the Winter Court to Kaeru Toshi, a Lion Clan city on the border of the Osari Plains (contested between the Crane, Lion, and to a degree, the Scorpion). This allows me to keep the Winter Court as a fairly minor affair, making it more acceptable that younger, lower-ranking Samurai would be here. For the Crane character, this has been a bit terrifying, because Crane/Lion affairs are tense at best, and she is surrounded by the people she hates.
Bear in mind that Kakita Morinaga is interchangeable with Doji Yatsuko, her concealed identity. Usually, I will refer to the character by her Doji name, except in instances were she is obviously assumed to be the male Kakita.
Winter Court of Matsu Ako, Lady of Kaeru Toshi
This winter court is being held to entertain the nobility of Kaeru Toshi over the winter. As the Lion (and therefore Matsu) are a military family, they are hosting a tournament of sorts on the castle grounds. The widowed Lady Matsu's daughter, Matsu Akane, has been entered into an arranged marriage by the Lion leader Akodo Arasou. This marriage was odd, in that it would be to the Scorpion Bayushi Razan, rather than a Lion. While Kaeru Toshi would remain a Lion city, power in the court would shift away from the Lion and Lady Ako, and into Scorpion favor as her daughter transplants her on the throne. That this arrangement is odd is not lost on Lady Ako, and she has requested the assistance of Kakita Investigators (drawing on a ranking friend within the school) to get to the bottom of this arrangement.
Similarly, with tensions high across the Osari plain, Lady Ako has requested the presence of a Crane emissary as an act of good faith. The Crane elected to send Kakita Morinaga, as his training means that he will be able to negotiate, as well as defend himself if things turn bad. This is a minor court, and the Crane doubt that much can be gained by sending anyone at all, thus they have chosen a low-ranking Samurai.
A member of the Mantis Clan is also present, representing Mantis trade interests with the Lion clan along the Eastern border. The Mantis have sent Kitsune Manabu, who in turn named Kitsune Joben as his Yojimbo. Manabu felt that Joben's impressive size and strength would keep any ambitious young Lions at bay, and as a member of Kitsune family, he is well aware of Joben's status, and has been furnished with appropriate means to "keep him reined in".

The court is made up of representative from every major Clan (except Spider, obviously). The majority of the attendants are obviously Lion Clan, but with the impending wedding, Scorpion are the next largest group (Razan and his retainers/companions). The Phoenix have sent a large group, with Mantis the next largest. The Unicorn have sent only three members, which is considered a large turnout for them at such a minor court. The Crane have sent only one of their number, and the Dragon are represented only by Kitsuki Udo and a Tattooed Monk who serves Lady Ako.

Day 1 - Arrival
Several Bushi have made their way to Kaeru Toshi, representing all of the major clans of Rokugan. Many of the guests have proceeded directly into the city, and up to the castle to rub elbows and generally be sociable. Doji Yatsuko is among these. She first attempts to join a group of Unicorn talking off to one side, but their typical xenophobia makes it hard to penetrate into their group. The arrival of a Lion courtier sees her off, and she falls in with a group of Phoenix, who are speaking with a Scorpion. Mostly pleasantries are exchanged, and discussion of the Scorpion's pleasure at seeing Razan wed to Akane. Though they have enough honor and propriety to not point out how odd this arrangement is directly, they nevertheless hint at it. A young Phoenix courtier, Asako Ema, has taken an interest in the "handsome" Kakita in her midst.

Kitsuki Udo has no interest in the court gossip, and the obtuse investigator is sitting on a rock outside the castle gates, overlooking the procession of arriving courtiers. He sees the arrival of the Mantis emissaries, particularly the massive Yoritomo bushi. A small group of Scorpion abruptly turn away and clear out as he arrives, whispering among themselves. Udo takes more interest now, seeing a potential ally in anyone who can strike such fear into the Scorpion, but upon closer inspection (Investigation) of the large man, he notices bruises on Joben's wrists which are indicative of his being shackled. Sensing a potential criminal in his midst, and a threat to his employer Lady Ako, Udo decides to divert himself from investigating the Scorpion wedding, to getting to the bottom of Joben's status.

Day 1 - Introductions, Heraldry Contest
Once all of the emissaries have arrived and had a few hours to settle in and wash off the travel-dirt, they are gathered together in the main hall of the castle. Lady Ako is absent, and in her place is her representative Ikoma Naoko. He informs the assembly that he will be officiating the contests which will serve as entertainment, and the first contest begins now. In lieu of formal introductions, Naoko will first present the heraldry of each of the respresentatives, with the guests being tested upon their knowledge of the various crests.
I gave the players descriptions of each crest so that they could answer if they knew it. As they are new however, they unanimously decided to roll against the TN for each crest.
Few present could best Kitsuki Udo, least of all the Bushi characters. Udo's abilities as an investigator meant that he was already aware of several of the Clan Crests, and was able to correctly identify the majority of those presented.
Notably, Kitsune Joben considered cheating on the test, but was reminded that this would prove to be dishonorable if he were caught. Rationalizing that being caught cheating would have a great impact on his Honor than even winning the contest, he wisely decided to keep his eyes on his own parchment.

Upon conclusion of the Heraldry viewing, the members of each house were formerly introduced, both as a formal introduction to save face, but also to provide the correct answers to those who had competed in the challenge. Lady Ako was in attendance for this portion of the ceremony.

Day 1 - Gift Giving Ceremony
As the evening in court drew to a close, the guests and competitors were allowed to present the gifts they had brought for Lady Ako. Gift-giving is customary, and the gifts need not be elaborate - indeed, a personal touch is more important than monetary value. Many of the competitors provided Lady Ako with flower arrangements, or other pieces of art which they had created themselves, or game they had hunted on the way to the castle. Bayushi Razan performed a poem proclaiming his love for the Lion clan. The Unicorn stole the show however, as two of their members revealed that they were brought along as performers, and presented a gaijin dance featuring acrobatics and feats with large scimitars. Despite their distaste of anything not traditionally a Rokugani custom, the Lion were swayed by the skill and daring involving the curved blades, and the intensity of the traditional war-drum which accompanied the song. The drum itself was then provided as a gift.

Kitsune Joben presented Lady Ako with a large pearl which he had retrieved from the ocean depths around the Mantis islands, along with the tale of the dive. Lady Ako was very pleased with this gift. It was the most valuable gift presented, but lacked none of the personal touch. Lady Ako herself places the most fear in death by drowning (although she will not say so openly, as fear of death is unbecoming of a Bushi, especially a Matsu Lion), and therefore commended Joben for his bravery in claiming such a precious gift for her.

Kitsuki Udo made a somber showing thanks to the difficulty of removing his swords with only one arm. He bowed all the way to the floor (lower than any other competitor) and presented Lady Ako with a sealed box. Unbeknownst to the other competitors, this box contained an exact copy of Bayushi Razan's scorpion mask, allowing Lady Ako to recognize him in her court at all times. It was not only a gift, but a sign from Udo that he was doing well in his investigation of the Scorpion's involvement in Kaeru Toshi.

Doji Yatsuki chose to perform a poem. She attempted a Lore(History) check pertaining to Kaeru Toshi first, but being largely untrained, she only knew of the shared history of the city. It had been called Kanemochi Kaeru before the Matsu captured it in 1122 (I changed the year from 1124 to make it slightly less recent- the setting is now 1125, going on 1126). This event being fresh in the mind of both the Lion and Crane clans, her poem was 'A Lament for Brittle Flower,' a Crane poem mourning the loss of the castle. Lady Ako responded politely but coldly to the poem, and it's subject matter did not go unnoticed among the assembled Lions or Scorpions.
I explained after the fact, that this was not the best choice for someone trying to *avoid* conflict between the Lion and Crane, as it not only portrays the Lion as the villain, but could also be understood as a veiled threat that the Crane are seeking to retake the city. I rolled a hidden Etiquette check for Doji Yatsuki to notice her error, with an elevated TN for her hatred of the Lion, and she failed. Her thinly veiled hate meant that she had no qualms with reading the poem, whether it was polite or not. It made sense that her hatred would not have affected the Crane decision to send her, as Kakita Morinaga is not known to harbor any particular ill-will against the Lion.
Day 1 - Evening/Nightfall
As Lady Ako retired from court, the guests were left to their own devices. Some left and re-entered the town, while others stayed to chat in the court. For his part, Kitsuki Udo sought out the minor Scorpion guests from earlier in the day, to determine what they knew about Kitsune Joben. Meanwhile, Kitsune Joben successfully lost his handler, Kitsune Manabu, in the crowd and made his way for the city gates.

The Scorpion tell Udo that they feel it would be distasteful to discuss Joben in his absence, as there is no proof that he has done the things which lead to his reputation. They do, however, tell Udo a story of Joben's village at home, and how a cursed beast descended upon it in the night and tore apart a young family. Furthermore, they advise Udo to stay clear of Joben during the night, particularly on nights such as this (it is a full moon, though they make no mention of it).
Udo discovers that Joben has gone missing, and tracks him down. He tracks Joben to the gate, and the guards there tell him that a Yoritomo Bushi left the town in a hurry, and demanded that they lock the gates behind him. Joben has retreated to the forest to escape Manabu and his chains, but also to prevent himself from causing any harm should he lose control. Udo takes a horse and follows him out into the wilds, but in the gathering darkness the poor-sighted Kitsuki loses the trial. Joben passes his Willpower test against Lord Moon's Madness, and does not lose his sanity this night. Udo returns to the city empty handed.

Doji Yatsuki decides to head to the local inn, to get some food and a bed to sleep in. 'The Tangled Mane' is a decent inn, with the best rooms being suitable for a bushi such as herself, but also boasting a local customer base. She is given a good table, in a more quiet corner of the dining area, but she notes that it is less accommodation than she should expect. She attributes it to being a Crane in Lion lands.
As time passes, she notices a man from a minor clan, the crest for which she cannot recognize. He is seated near the front of the room, within the draft of the door. He's hunched over his bowl of ramen, and barely lifts his face to drink his sake. She notices that rather than simply being a bit overzealous about his meal, he seems to be hiding his identity, and he casts furtive glances at the door and some of the patrons.
Eventually, two Lions - a Coutier and his Bushi Yojimbo - come through the door, and upon noticing the man, confront him. It seems he was commissioned to forge a katana for Lady Ako to present to the winner of the Winter contest, but has spent all of his time in the inn drinking instead. He assures the men that he is working on the sword, and that the metal for it has only just arrived. They tell him that the Kaeru Toshi customs office has received no shipment of metals, so he is either lying, or his is a smuggler. The men tell him that if he can't forge the sword in time, they'll take his katana from him as a prize instead. The sword seems to be the only valuable the man owns, and from what Yatsuki can tell, the weapon is priceless and very old.

Things don't get any better when Yatsuki tries to intervene on the blacksmith's behalf. She is the only Crane in the entire city, and the Lions were in the court when she recited the poem to Lady Ako. Yatsuki determines that there's nothing she can do about the sword - the smith will have to offer his personal blade as a prize for Lady Ako if he cannot forge a new one himself. However, if Yatsuki could win the contest, or the smith could enter and win the contest, the sword could be reclaimed. The Lions retort that there is no place available in the contest (trying to incite a duel). Yatsuki's "Heart of Vengeance" and solid social skills give her an advantage, and she sidesteps the jab and responds that she is sure Lady Ako could create a space for the smith, considering he is more deserving of a fine sword than a bully.
This spurs the Lion Courtier to challenge the Smith to an Iajutsu duel for his spot in the contest. The smith (Tsi Masamori) fails his "soft hearted" roll, in addition to being too drunk to fight (he can barely stand), and therefore begs Yatsuki to be his second. Yatsuki is practically forced to consent, but allowing the Smith to nominate a second gives the courtier the same right, and he offers up the Yojimbo as his stand in.

The two Lions, Yatsuki, and Masamori head out into the street for the first violence of the campaign. Several patrons of the inn also crowd around to watch the duel. It is decided that the duel will be to first blood, on the condition that the loser must surrender their place in the Winter contest to Masamori.
The duel is a real spectacle, both in the game and around the table. Everybody crowded around and practically held their breath while she made her rolls. It didn't help that the very first thing she did was burn a raise to declare that she was aiming to cut off the Lion's sword-hand. Kitsuki Udo's player went "head-desk" as soon as he heard this, but although his character had been just outside the inn, he had no reason to give advice, and could only sit back and watch.
The Heart of Vengeance worked here as well, and combined with Yatsuki's solid Iajutsu skills, it led to a clear victory for the Crane. In a flash of silver and crimson, she cut off the Lion's arm between the wrist and elbow, before he reached the middle of his draw. He crumpled to the street, managing not to cry out in pain.
The atmosphere around the scene instantly became tense, the silence broken by the sound of (a drunk/nervous/disgusted) Masamori vomiting. The crowd gave Yatsuki a wide berth as she headed back into the inn and took a seat at Masanori's table. The nervous innkeeper brought her some tea and a small meal, and she calmly waited for the inevitable arrival of town officials.

Kitsuki Udo was given Yatsuki's old table, and sat in the corner observing. Five ashigaru, two bushi, and the captain of the town's guard arrived on the scene shortly after. Yatsuki and Masamori recounted the events, along with the innkeeper and a handful of other patrons. Satisfied that the duel had been honorable, the captain allowed Yatsuki to continue unmolested, and promised to speak with Ikoma Naoko about Masamori's entry into the competition, as well as arranging for the Lion Courtier to suffer the same wound as his Yojimbo. However, Masamori was shamefully intoxicated, and determined to be the cause of the trouble in the first place- he was placed in irons and spent the rest of the night in the town lockup. In custody, Masamori was thoroughly "worked over" for allowing such a disgrace to befall the Lion Clan.

Day 1 - Night
Doji Yatsuki paid for her room and slept at the inn. Kitsuki Udo's accommodations were taken care of by Lady Ako, and his room was already paid for (he had been living in the town for a week prior). Joben remained hidden in the forest for the night - his Kitsune upbringing meant that he was as comfortable sleeping in the boughs of a tree as he was sleeping on a mat. Masamori eventually blacked out and was dumped onto a pile of straw in a dirty prison cell, to await the morning.

Overall, the first session was a success. For anyone wondering, the players did get equal time in the spotlight - as Tsi didn't show up until later in session, I let his player carry on thinking that the gravely wounded Samurai from the prequel skirmish was his character, waking up in Bieden Pass and struggling to make his way to safety. I decided to let his character be the messenger who brings news of the Emperor's fate. Unfortunately, he turned South, for Crab lands.
The players enjoy the setting, and I like DMing it to them. Being a DM for L5R is tough though, especially with a group that does more "roll playing" than role-playing. I decided early that the best way to handle this was for me to describe their actions to them, after they've rolled. I let them get away with saying, "I am polite to her, and present her with the pearl that I brought with me", and then I describe exactly what happens (you bow low, and then hold out the pearl for Naoko to pass to Lady Ako, etc). It works, and the players actually enjoy hearing what their characters are doing, because it's framed in such a unique setting. The exceptions are Doji Yatsuki and Kitsuki Udo, who are both well versed enough in Japanese culture that they can lend a decent bit of roleplaying. Still, it's important to read your player's *intentions* over their actions in this setting. If a player doesn't specifically bow low *enough*, but their intentions are honorable, describe that they bow "very low" to hint that this is how they do things in the future. With the exception of the poem, I didn't penalize anyone for breaches of etiquette unless they were intentional.
The one downside is that after seeing the Iaijutsu Dueling mechanics and the awesome Crane/Lion duel, everyone in the party is super gung-ho to add Iajutsu to their skill list! I warned them that becoming truly good at dueling is a huge character investment (my L5R character is a one-armed Kakita duellist), and that the Kakita school is second to none in terms of their abilities, not to mention how much help Yatsuki got from 'Heart of Vengeance'.
 
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