Sapphire Ambassadors

The gallery having been thoroughly cleaned and blessed slowly fills throughout the day as various artists maneuver into their spaces. Some artists arrive early, overseeing peasants maneuvering heavy statuary while certain poets arrived barely ahead of the judges. The artists' spaces have been meticulously arranged according to their art of choice. The most fragrant arts have been spaced as wide apart as possible, so the scent of, say a certain Scorpion's Garlic Gyoza does not intermingle with the scent of the ikebana displays. Those who arts contain a sound component have been staggered, so the judges might clear one catchy song from their minds before listening to an impassioned flute solo. Neutral gray screen are available for the artists whose works should be viewed shielded from the rest, while others bask in the suns rays, visible to all with eyes.

Contestants make a single (Appropriate Stat)/(Appropriate skill for the culmination and final touches of their work depicting Jin. The TN is 15 (20 for those trained in the Kakita Artisan school) Success earns one sapphire point, plus one per successful raise. Failure earns no points. 15 points earned across the entire competition will earn you the honor of being named a sapphire ambassador.

There will also be two pieces that will be picked as "Best in Show" based solely off the written description that the GMs feel are best written. One piece in the entire competition will be named best in show, earning it the equivalent of 3 best in show picks. The artist who has the most best in show picks total (ties broken by sapphire points) will be named Sapphire Champion

Additionally, artists may dedicate their works to one of the three amigos as per the rules for that side game, helping to influence the host of the next sapphire tournament.

This thread is exclusively for your description and rolls. Discussion between each other and the judges is for the discussion thread.

Hatsuki had been on fire in making her cosmetics for this, if she did say so herself. Ultimately, she chose to play it safe, but there was part of her that wondered what could have been if she had gone all out. Ultimately, though, Compassion wasn't exactly the virtue of Bushido she looked to the most, so it was fine.

She limited her eyes to a touch of gold, the shape of the shadow a little rounded to imply the sun rising over the horizon, implying the ultimate compassion of Lady Sun. The dark liner on her upper lid but not lower had a touch of violet to it, not simply to set off the gold, but to make the subtlest suggestion of Lady Shinjo. Despite the bold choices in color, she muted them down almost to the point of difficulty in being able to see them, suggesting an effort to let others stand out before her, to let them shine in their own right rather than being too bold. On her lips was a muted, understated red, to imply both summer roses for the approaching season and the blood bushi shed to protect those of lower station than themselves.

Fortunately, the message seemed to come across, despite the oddness of her art to most critics' eyes. Everything had to be in shape or color, and very abstract. What a relief

~~~

Kakita Tech 2: Artisan [Makeup]/Awareness v. Etiquette/Willpower of observers. Why? Just to be extra | 10k4 ⇒ 30 To instill an actual feeling of compassion in her audience.

Artisan (Makeup)/Awareness, 8k4+Technique+Void, Kakita +5, 2 Raises | 10k5+2 ⇒ 62 (TN: 30)
+3 Sapphire Points

Jin had never been Choudai's strong suit. As a general rule, the Scorpion Clan saw the weaknesses and frailties of others as something to exploit, not protect them from.

But his habit of sticking his nose into heimin kitchens had given him some perspective on the issue, and he'd decided to do something a bit more performative than the usual.

So Bayushi Choudai, who usually dressed well and wore a stylish mask, instead entered the area set aside for him in the simple military attire of a bushi, his only mask a simple black cloth over the lower half of his face. He carried a furoshiki which he set on the prepared table with reverence, carefully unrolling it next to the pre-staged ingredients. The knives, the mortar and pestle, the wok, the bamboo steamer, all of it showed signs of both age... and care. Exquisitely made, the cookware his grandmother had bequeathed to him seemed almost to fit itself into his hands as he got to work without saying a word.

He got to work without speaking, selecting ingredients and chopping them, the small kitchen knives wielded with absolute assurance as he diced away.

Bayushi Choudai was thoroughly zoned in, leaving it to the observers to note that none of the ingredients were particularly fine. He cooked not rice, but barley. He used not fine fish, nor even chicken. All that went into the stir-fry were some root vegetables and a few pea pods.

Somehow, despite the coarseness of the ingredients, the smells quickly became heavenly- simple fare prepared perfectly.

He did splurge, slightly, when he diced some garlic and ginger root into the wok, removing the spices from one of his sleeves, the way a street vendor paid a little extra might have done.

He carefully served out the barley into seven bowls, then apportioned the stir-fried vegetables over the top.

Then he stood upright, carefully cleaned his grandmother's cookware, wrapped it back up, and took a step back.

The next part was crucial.

The servants he had tagged for the job came and collected the food, bearing it out of the hall.

Only then did he speak.

"Jin presented difficulties for me, given my chosen art form. This is my solution."

He nodded toward the door where the servants had taken the food.

"The meal is to be given to a young heimin family. It contains nothing above their station, nothing they cannot obtain as they work diligently for their lords. It also demonstrates excellence. Superior skill applied to an everyday task. Because as a samurai, I can do no less."

He paused.

"To tantalize them with a once in a lifetime meal of fine delicacies they will never taste again would not demonstrate Compassion. Nor would preparing something fine to be shared only among samurai. But in tasting simple food prepared to perfection, they can learn what their station leaves scope for."

He bowed to the judges, then collected his furoshiki and stepped away.

2-raise success for 3 Sapphire Points. Dedicating the win to advancing the cause of Shosuro Otoko

Nadeshiko’s neither late nor early, arriving somewhere in the middle and dressed down in a black kimono with pink peonies. Her obi’s a blue hydrangea pattern interspersed with the crane mon peeking through, her hair’s tied back and again carried over one arm so as not to trail the floor, and her only accessories are the ragged blue ribbon in her hair and the charm bracelet she wore the night before.

The Crane finds her place and sits, head bowed, before pulling something from her sleeve. Her hands now cradle an unusual tea cup: one side has thin, jagged golden lacquer lines branching out like lightning, but otherwise, it’s simple black ceramic with a fuzzy blossom motif.

When the judges find her, she clears her throat softly, waiting for permission before speaking her piece.

“Today I share two pieces of art: a poem, and a tea bowl bought before I was born, repaired by the craftsman Towa from Heibeisu.”

It’s… a little overwhelming. Since she left the academy she's only shared her poetry out loud with one or two friends, and the woman wonders, perhaps, if her work’s still juvenile. Does it matter? Breathe. Well, like all feelings, it’s temporary. Nadeshiko empties her heart of everything but what she's created, lets it flow through her like water and into the world, her existence, briefly, a vessel for something that can only be done in this time, in this place: strike!

“A child hungers.
In a world full of suffering,
I can still feed him.
This life passes by but once;
There will always be more rice.

Let me live like that,
With no kindness left undone,
Mending what's broken –-
Returning nests to branches,
Sowing seeds after a fire.

I'll hold out my hand.
Bridge the gap between what is
And what should be.
A drowning man only needs
A single soul reaching out.”

Nadeshiko pauses after she finishes speaking to sit with it like she sits with the flowers so she loves. The moment, the feeling, the meaning she’s ascribed to it -- she cradles it all to her chest. Soon this, too, passes, and the Crane returns to her work.

“This tea cup was my mother’s. When I was a small child, she could hardly pry it from my hands, I loved it so; but children are clumsy, and the cup ended up broken. I wept for days –- it truly felt like a great loss. In her kindness she sought out a craftsman who could repair it beautifully.”

Her thumb lightly brushes against the mended cracks. Her mother held it this way, too, when she’d given it to Nadeshiko. Across time their hands touch.

“Thank you.”

Day 2 Tournament Event: Artisan: Poetry / Awareness, Avant-Garde emphasis. Prodigy for +1k0. Void point for +1k1. 2 called raises for TN 30. | 7k4 ⇒ 38 (TN: 30)
+3 Sapphire points.
Dedicated to Shosuro Otoko.

Horuden was a man of purpose. And that purpose was coffee. So there was only one thing he could do: he could tell the world about it in big characters.



EE2. Event. Int/Calligraphy. Henshin 1. VP. 4 Raises.: 7d10o10k6 48

[5 Points]

"I dedicate this work to whoever supports introducing coffee ceremony into the lives of samurai." Horuden averred.

In the back of the gallery, a small artist's space had been set up with the grey screens early in the morning, before any of the other competitor's had arrived. Within that space, there was a singular work.

From the right side, this painting looks like a fairly normal painting. A very detailed representation of Doji Nadeshiko is bent over to tend to a wounded samurai, whose features of obscured by the blood stained grass they lay upon. A look of concern and tenderness is etched upon Nadeshiko's face as she attempts to assist the wounded samurai, a single tear upon her right cheek.

A touching scene...at least as long as one does not look to the left half of the painting.

Of course, those whose eyes are drawn to the left of the work observe the bared bottom of Nadeshiko. From between her smooth checks an enormous wind of dark charcoal hue emerges striking down an armed Scorpion bushi who bears more than a passing resemblance to Bayushi Choudai who is literally being blown away by this foul wind, a look of great dismay and anguish upon his masked face.

(Kakita Mikan's style for reference


The artist had left after setting up their work in the early morning and did not return for the judging.

Awa/Painting, Void Spent, 1 Raise called, TN 25 | 10k4 ⇒ 40 (TN: 25)

This had taken a bit - most of the evening, and a good chunk of the afternoon before it, but Inori had buckled down.

Jin. The concept of....compassion.

Not a virtue close to a Matsu's heart, normally, a family hard on their enemies and harder still on themselves. But, still - there it was. Strength. Not just strength, power, skill...knowledge. With them came not the ability to dominate, but...a thought occured to her, and the Lion picked up her paintbrush

A picture started to take shape, gradually - two figures at first, humanoid, one lying on the ground, propped on arm, and another standing over it, extending a hand as if to help the other up to their feet. Both were vague, indistinct. It was impossible to tell exact details about them. Around those figures a meadow took shape - grass, weeds, some flowers. A stone. The blue sky behind them, overcast with the sun only peeking through a gap in the clouds. A detail here and there.

Inori paused, licked her lips, concentrated.

Then added more details. Something like a slight vapor coming off the ground around the standing figure's legs. Faint orange lines around the fallen figure. A wavy distortion in one area. And then, almost hidden, a small blue humanoid figure with with a face of sorts - and more of those faint wisps in green and blue, tying both figures together. Flowing from the outstretched arm into the fallen figure it seemed, circulating and stirring in the chest.

This....will do.

Artisan: Painting/Awareness with 2 Raises = 44, Success for +3 Sapphire points

As others busy themselves with their displays Yoshino takes her time to set hers just right. A small collection of similarly themed poems is laid out on a large, simple hemp cloth atop a plain round table. It is a humble yet functional display not intended to provoke awe or feelings of grandeur. One had to walk around the table to read each piece. Yoshino was particular about having them sit equally apart from one another. The poems include haiku and older tanka. All the pieces of paper were of an equal size. Even the text was larger in size for those poems with shorter haiku, lending them parity. There is one for each of the Clans, which is apparent from the coloured paper chosen. Sky blue, dark blue, purple, orange, red, green and yellow. The words are carefully written in clear, easily legible writing. Some effort has been placed into harmonising all seven poems and making the display balanced and equal. No particular poem takes prominence.

Seeds sown safely,
In the quiet, tranquil fields.
Full bellies, smiles,
Unaware of dead bushi,
Lives spent protecting the peace.

~~~~~

The wagon sits there,
Broken and stuck in the road.
I help on instinct.
The merchant need not ask it,
I fulfil my lord's command.

~~~~~

This secret is mine,
Telling you would sting deeply,
So I keep silent.

~~~~~

"Why must we learn this?"
Asks the young boy to sensei.
So others need not.

~~~~~

My foe defeated,
My mercy is a swift death.
My foe honoured.

~~~~~

For the good of all,
We samurai train, toil.
This is compassion.

~~~~~

The older pilgrim,
Falters on the uphill climb.
I shall carry them.
Even in the chill morning,
My purpose gives ample strength.

A single stick of incense is placed in a hard wooden stand atop the centre of the table and lit. It is blown out and left be so that a gentle fragrance of spring flowers permeates the air immediately around the poem display.

-----

D2 EE Contest of Jin. Poetry/Awareness. Void for +1k1. 3 raises called. TN30 = 32. Pass
+4 Sapphire points.

Yoshiaki arrived with his clanmate who was his canvas for this tattoo. For his art he had chosen people who embodied the tenants as much as the artwork would. His brother Shizuru was always the first one to show up to chores and the last to leave. He gave everything of himself to others. The type to give the shirt off his back to a heimen in need, if he had one on to give.

The piece he had worked up was exquisite in the artistry of it, the colors blended perfectly no gradient off or line out of place. He clearly expressed a technical Mastery of his art.

The tattoo itself was of a large Crab standing above a town his claws placed to the ground causing a rushing flood to part and flow around the town protecting it. The waves were stylized, frothing and raging against the gleaming carapace of the crab. The villagers beneath tiny dots of people, their identities unimportant and unknown to the Crab. It defended them because it was right not because of who they are.

"Many see the Crab as a symbol of Duty but in his piece I aimed to emphasize the compassion the act of defense invokes. The act of giving everything one has, even their own life to protect others. To lay ones life down so that another may live free is the ultimate act of compassion."

"This work and many of my works this week is and will be dedicated to Shosuro Otoko a dear friend of the Dragon and a staunch admirer of our art."

---------------
D2 EE Jin competition Artisan: Tattoo/awareness, Inheritance +1k1, Void +1k1 3 raises tn 30 | 10k6 ⇒ 46 (TN: 30)

4 sapphire points. Dedicated to Shosuro Otoko

Yua had conveniently made sure to keep herself well away from the Cranes artistic display so that those looking at her wouldn't have to suffer looking at any other display. It also allowed her to stand with the light. Which as she was wearing a very light and spring-like kimono

"Mina-sama, allow me to share you a tale of a man called Seiko."

She put her hands behind her back and looked around before speaking.

"When Seiko was a young boy, he loved the ocean. He would go down every day and watch the water lap at the shore. He saw the fishes jumping, and he would tell his dad ‘One day I will fish the most incredible fish!' He grew up to be a fisherman, but he never caught that incredible fish, until one day."

She took a moment before continuing.

"It was a stormy day, but still Seiko went out on his rowboat. He needed to fish, to look after his family and himself. Still, the weather was too stormy, and he was preparing to give up when suddenly his line tugged. A catch, and a big catch! Seiko was excited, he tugged, and he tugged and finally, the catch came onto the ship. Except it was no fish. No, it was a woman with fierce red hair, and eyes as blue as the ocean she had been pulled up from. where she should have legs though, instead she had a tail like a fish, as blue as her eyes. Seiko was stunned by her beauty. A catch like no other, and one that would make him famous. Yet as he looked over the woman, knowing what would face her if he returned with her, Seiko knew what he needed to do.

Yua made a lifting and dropping motion.

"Seiko dropped his most incredible catch back into the ocean. The woman jumped up out of the river, jumping and diving in thanks, before she swam back to the boat. 'For your kindness, you will be rewarded fair fisherman. Your catches, they will be amazing. This I swear to you'. As she swam away though, Seiko called out. 'Wait!' he shouted. 'Will I see you again?' The woman, she smiled and said simply 'we will meet again', before she dived back under the waves."

"Seiko fished the same waters for forty years. He caught the most amazing catches, ones that would have made Seiko a very wealthy man. Instead, he gave the fish to those who needed food and refused to profit from his fish. They were gifts from the red-haired woman of the sea and he would share her gifts with the people of his village."

"After many many decades, Seiko went out for his one last fishing trip. He had lived his life, and knew he had no other journeys for him. He sighed, wishing as he cast his line one last time, to see her beautiful face once more. Suddenly, a tug! A large catch, strong enough to pull Seiko overboard. He fell into the water, sinking, not having the strength to swim up again. Then he stopped sinking. He could hear a voice in his ears. 'You accepted my gift and used it to help others, and for that we thank you’ Standing in front of him was the red-haired woman. A warm smile on her face, as she reached out with her hand. 'Now it is time to rest, Seiko.'"

She took a small breath.

"Seiko was never seen in the village again, yet his beliefs remained. None would be left to starve, and nobody would suffer alone. Together, in memory of the kind fisherman."

Yua bowed.

"Thank you."

(ooc: (D2, EE) The Contest of Jin (Event) roll. Perform:storytelling/Awareness+voice+void point. TN15+3 raises for TN30 | 9k6 ⇒ 56 (TN: 30) roll passed with 3 raises for 4 Sapphire points

Fit for a Crab Craftsman, grey screens frame the display in a dismal background. In the center of the display lies an unmarked katana, showing signs of a broken blade, likely from a collection of tonfa that surround it. In a ring around the tonfas, are more conventional peasant tools, some of which are broken as if by the katana in turn. As a whole, the scene shows the story of a peasant who took an opportunity to take a katana from a fallen samurai, but couldn't convince others he was one. As a result, he constantly had to strike first and soon enough, the yoriki of a town struck him first and he was no more.

"Let this be dedicated to the representative of the Clan who best resembles the Virtue this (points to the broken katana) fool never learned." (+4 Amigo Points to Shiba Aiobu)

D2 EE Event, Craft: Weaponsmith/Void, Void Spent for +2k2 (kaiu technique), 3 raises called, TN 30 | 7k5 ⇒ 23 (TN: 30) (Using Luck for Reroll)
D2 EE Event, Craft: Weaponsmith/Void, Void Spent for +2k2 (kaiu technique), 3 raises called, TN 30, Using Luck for try 2 | 7k5 ⇒ 61 (TN: 30) (Pass, 4 Sapphire Points)

Hamada's area is quiet, a contrast to her usual hustle and bustle that usually exemplifies her. It had taken a little while to come up with an answer to this exhibition. Perhaps more fittingly, she had to answer a question that no one had really asked yet. It had been one that plagued her:

What does Compassion mean to the Tsi

The concept was a specialty of the Phoenix, and the Great Clans all had long, entrenched views on their "kindness" to their "lessers".

From the point of view of someone whose forefathers had been "lesser", those attempts had always been more than a little condescending. When was there a moment when a member of Rokugan society did something compassionate without looking down on the person they were helping.

Well, there was one...

Hamada tosses a few pieces of binchō-tan into the brazer, poking the inside with a stick to distribute the coals. The trick in a forge was steady heat, and it just so happened that there was another art to which it was important. Hamada sets a pot of water on top of the brazier as she sets out cups of bamboo, simple, but expertly carved. She bows as she invites passerby, purposefully mixing heimin with samurai for the ceremony, attempting to bring more than one of each class together as she prepares and presents her tools, going through the rehearsed practice of purifying each piece.

Hamada eyes the water, noting the moment that the surface begins to waver before daintly ladling the water into the chawan filled with tea. Her wrists stroke fluidly, whisking the tea before presenting it for a sample from guest to guest before diluting it down further, and portioning it to everyone's cup.

With a quick cleaning, Hamada bows and welcomes the next group of guests. And the next. And the next after that. For the entire time, Hamda serves without prejuice, and without explanation.

Let the action speak louder than words. All will be introduced to my art equally. Deal with it.

Unfortunately, this scandalizes the onlookers.

Contest of Jin-Tea Ceremony/Void-2 raises | 6k5 ⇒ 21 (TN: 25)

Jewelry is shown best when worn, it will rest in the Gallery of Dusk on a manniquin. At this hour, Sriyani arranges the lamps, wishing for the gentle light the gallery was named for, but settling for getting as close as she could with the lamps. Then, with a long, settling breath, she steps into the gentle pool of light and waits, gaze down, hands clasped just so as she awaits the judges.

Still as a temple statue, the simple depth of her robes violet dyes moving gently with her breath breaks the illusion of stone. It would not do to emulate a Fortune so closely as that. The plain robes and her mounds of ink black hair set off the silver jewelry she's designed, which drape from head to toe.

At the summit of her wealth of hair, a comb of gray ash supports an actual carved Fortune. Alabaster Jizo pours from a ladle exactly like the one sitting before every temple for one to purify their hands and mouth before they enter. A blued-silve, silk ribbon is woven through the links of a silver chain flowing back and forth down her piled hair to split in three at the base--one to each side and one straight forward. Each ends in a single clear, raindrop-shaped crystal, catching the light where they dangle.

The crystals are mimicked in those dangling from her ears, one above, and three below, a half circle of metal, perhaps an inch wide. Thin silver chains with an even thinner copy of her hair ribbon woven through, connect the pieces in a delicate balance. Each metal slice has kanji cut into it, letting the light shine through. "Remember your need" on one and "Foster hope" on the other.

As the eye continues down to the heavy collar resting upon her shoulders and across her clavicles, it may be distracted by the exceptionally untraditional form of the piece. The form is much like those that might be found among peoples across the sands, though the style and motifs are easily recognized as common across the Empire.

The second thing one notices, is that the collar seems to empty as one follows the rows of charms downward, leaving empty chains dangling at the bottom, the pale ribbons trailing a bit beyond each chain's end.

And finally, the eye focuses upon the individual bits of the collar--dozens of carved stone or hand-cast metal charms in stylized symbols easily recognized as those of various fortunes. There are Fukurokujin's scrolls of knowledge, Inari's sheaves of rice, Hotei's mirror of contentment, Bishamon's spear of protection, and many, many others. Repeated in dwindling numbers as one descends, each affixed to the collar's chains with a hand-shaped clasp. There are empty clasps beneath, and then none, with the lowest dangling chain in the center ending at the level of one's heart.

Just below the edge of sleeves quite a bit shorter than usually seen in court are solid wrist cuffs of silver embossed with scenes of contented village life and peaceful castles. Holes in the long cuffs allow the soft silk ribbon to flow beside the villages and weave beside castles as those gifts that have been offered up in the spirit of compassion ensure the thriving of all in the Empire.

Pale moonstone rings on each hand bear carvings of the stern face of Emma-O, reminder of the death one should be ever prepared for completes the collection.

************
Whoops, tagged as Day 1. Day 1 of Arting, but actual Day 2
Day 1 Arting: Artisan: Jewelry/Awareness 2 Raises TN 25, Void | 8k5 ⇒ 35 (TN: 25)

edit to add: 3 points total
Dedicated to Shiba Aibou as a duty toward her future clan.

Doji Minori makes her appearance in the contest dressed in the usual training attire of a warrior, a baby blue hakama and a grey gi. Nothing special, but fitting to what she is to present.

She bows to the judges and then she sits down in a perfect seiza, closes her eyes and breaths in and out slowly for a minute or two. Once she feels focused the Crane jumps up on her feet and draws her sword. She has made sure that she is away from the judges and all the bystanders so that no one feels threatened. A single pink ribbon and numerous baby blue ones are tied along her blade. Her arm moves the sword fast while her feet remain rooted to the ground. Agile and flexible, yet steady and unmovable, she performs her kata the same way a samurai defends and leads those in need. With the right warrior instincts, but never stepping away from the way of the samurai.

Once the kata is over, the Doji sheaths her blade and recites.

"Peony grows strong
Pink among the baby blue
Shares strength and beauty"

Another bow to the judges and a small, polite smile. It went smoothly. Protection for those in need the way only the Left Hand of the Empress can offer. The way Nadeshiko shows every single day of her life.


/[D2, EE] Contest
Poetry/awa, vp, Doji warrior poet tech, 4 raises, TN 35 | 10k6 ⇒ 58 (TN: 35)

Shizenko felt tiny almost the crafters and the artists around. Thank goodness that she was allowed to bring Raakun in. The Kitsune started working with the papers. To her the interpretation of this virtue was one quite simple, a paper cup, a rabbit and a doll. The cup was light blue on the inside and pink on the outside. The rabbit brown with white accents. The doll wore a multi colored kimono. The scene was set as the doll was offering the bunny a the cup of water.

And Raakun did a little dance
//rolls in PF 2 SP

Asano had a blank canvas, her palette, and her brush. And a theme. There had been something inspiring about the koi in the pond outside of the teahouse yesterday; The way the pond was their entire world, yet they did not fret about it. Rather than think about their limitations, a koi simply lived it's best life, being fed by the patrons of the teahouse and being admired. It had a very deep sort of dichotomy about it, like the life of a samurai; How much did one stay humble and emotionless and stick to one's duty, and how much did one look to break free? It was a question she'd always asked herself, especially as a teenager.

Thinking back she also remember the dichotomy of the calm of watching the pond and nature again the more civilized calm of her friend Yoshino doing her tea ceremony... Black hair, white hair... night and day...

Soon she found herself painting, a calm almost serene look about her as the image danced from her brush to the linen. A black fish, a white fish. Freedom and duty. Glory and humbleness. Was she truly the white fish... or was she the black fish all along?
-----

As she put the finishing touches on the painting, Asano decided she didn't like it. Not that she thought it was ugly or bad; Quite the opposite. But she felt laid bare in her thoughts in ways she'd not in front of other people with her paintings before. ...well, it was too late to turn back now.



Day 2, EE, Contest of Jin, Artisan: Painting/Awareness, TN15, 3 called raises, TN30, Void Point 1/3 for day 2 for +1k1 | 6k5 ⇒ 36 (TN: 30)

4 Sapphire Points

Compassion was not an easy concept for Ameiko on a cognitive level. It wasn't something she actively cared about or even truly understood.

Though she did know that sometimes people were nice to her when she was upset, and not simply to keep her from showing wrath at them. That in itself was a simple enough thing, and though other people were generally worms beneath her notice, she was certain even they experienced such moments of respite.

What must it be like for them? She didn't really know, and in all honestly the only reason she cared was to have found a proper song to play for this competition. Something that gave cheer to the forlorn, or perhaps expressed that kharma would provide for those who live through difficult times.

(looking for a video to use, it'll happen later)

OOC
3 raises, TN 35: 50
4 points
Yes, i started at TN 20. Next time i'll make a roll to see if she will start a TN 15, but i forgot this time.

The young Moshi had not expected to see the test of Jin so early, but thankfully had been planning ahead for what might best represent his work in this area. After last minute adjustments and fidgeting - nerves having extra effect on this first test - the tall Mantis stepped back, gave himself a reassuring nod at the display, and then escaped into the crowd before he could overhear any commentary on his work.

The display that would greet the judges upon their arrival was at first simple but still eye catching, a carefully crafted map of far southeastern Rokugan, specifically an area around the Yasuki provinces, flanked on one side by an origami crab and on the other by an origami crane. With further inspection, it was clear how painstakingly a route that circled - seemingly unnecessarily widely - through the Crab lands had been drawn in. A few key towns were depicted with modest but easily understood symbols and neat lettering, and it would perhaps take some judges a deeper review and reflection to recognize that the border between Crab and Crane lands in the map was not the current border, but one from before the Yasuki joined the clan of Hida.

The map portrayed the route of an only moderately famous Crane merchant, Yasuki Yoshinko, taken several times through the seasons following a border dispute between the clans. Yoshinko's business had been disrupted by Crab raids during the conflict, with a not insignificant loss of wealth resulting. But rather than bear a grudge, Yoshinko had embraced compassion and made available to those Crab towns - some of them nearly isolated during the winter and early spring - a range of goods in addition to extra food that was more than welcome. Her work affirmed the peace between the clans, even allowing the Crab to save some face by recognizing the generous "trade" effort rather than leave those border towns to suffer during the winter. Savvy judges would see the choice of this story to depict as an honorable homage to the Crane hosting this tournament as well as Tatsuya's sensei among the Yasuki.

In the map's lower right corner, a small dedication was noted: "From Moshi Tatsuya, humble student of the Yasuki School, to the honored samurai who embody bushido even in practical arts like economics."

-----
Roll:
passed Craft Cartography/Int w/2 called raises

3 Sapphire Points

Dedication to ally Yoritomo Tomodachi

Entries are now closed.
Please be sure, if you've not already done so, to flag any dedications in your PF. Remember, if they ain't there, they don't count.

After the judges complete their circuit of the gallery, they discuss for awhile before returning to Utemaro. Once they've conferred with him, word goes through the crowd that the announcement of the judge's picks for the competition of Jin are about to begin.

"Gathered artists, I believe that the histories will note that the first competition of the Sapphire Ambassadors competition was a success, by any standard. We have been honored with artstic works as diverse as the clans across the Empire, and surely Lady Doji and Sadahako are smiling upon this wonderful display of the arts.

There are two artists whom the judges wish to give special recognition to. The two works that the judges feel best represented Jin through their chosen artistic medium. It was a difficult choice, there were many worthy contenders. But a choice has been made. The two artists that have captured the judge's picks are:

Doji Yoshino and Moshi Tatsuya

We look forward to tommorow's display from all of the artists. Today's works will either be displayed in the Gallery of Dusk or the records of them shall be for those who wish to review and enjoy them. Thank you for your hard efforts today, and we will see you and your works tomorrow.