(D7, ME) Getting to Know You (Player Event)

[Saibankan]

Getting to know you

Doji Yoshino has suggested a mid-competition social event for the contestants to get to know one another better. This has been spoken about and cleared with the hosts, who are also invited. By now everyone is beginning to become familiar with the art and styles of each competitor. It was a good a time as any to learn more about the people behind the displays. At the very least it would be a fun and relaxing use of time. With some luck it would provide insight into one another's art, helping everyone - competitor, host and judges alike - to better appreciate the intentions and meaning of the displayed pieces. Or so goes the theory.

What this meant was a simple evening gathering in the theatre where willing storytellers could take the stage and share a fun, interesting or important event in their lives. A personal story. This eliminated much of the potential for animosity or Clan achievement gloating, although there was the opportunity for participants to still boast if they had something impressive enough to brag about. Tea and rice cakes were provided by the generous Crane hosts, along with comfortable cushions, to make it easy to relax while listening to the stories. A table with some common props, normally used in theatre performances, was also set up in case anyone preferred telling a more animated story.

Once all the stories were told it would be up to an honorary judge to decide which were the best. This was to be judged on both the level of interest of the story and how well told it was. After all, the best story tellers could make even an unimportant event interesting to listen to, although more riveting events were always more inherently appealing to learn about. The winners would each receive a little prize courtesy of the Crane.

This event is comprised of three parts made up by three rolls.

What to say?
There are some things a samurai can speak about and some they can't. Only some of those one might speak about will be both interesting and situationally appropriate. Artistic tales would naturally be encouraged, but this was primarily an event to share a little about one another. So, most personal tales would be acceptable. However, anything that could be seen as harming the harmony of an inter-clan competition would likely cause great resentment. Some thought needs to be put into the appropriate tale to tell. This is an etiquette (courtesy)/awareness roll at TN20. Failure on this roll increases the TN of part 3 by 10. If you go on to fail part 3 after failing this roll it will cause a minor breach of etiquette as you tell a story that is notably inappropriate.

How to say it?
Once a story popped to mind that one thinks is appropriate then it becomes important to consider how to say it. Light-hearted stories benefitted from things like animated storytelling, perhaps a few props and a cheery tone. Serious stories could be enhanced with elements like respectful moments of silence or vivid descriptions of events. It all depends on the story and what impression the storyteller wished to give. It was possible to have an idea in advance, even to practice, yet the best stories were adapted to the audience and location. In other words, a little improvisation can make all the difference.
This is a courtier (rhetoric)/perception or investigation (notice)/perception roll TN20. Success on this roll gives a +5 to your roll in part 3. Failure has no penalty.

Tell it well.
With suitable decisions made it becomes time to step on stage and tell your story. Good luck!
This is a perform: storytelling/awareness roll at TN15. The three highest roll totals will be the winners.
Additionally, two raises can be called to tell a boastful story about oneself, earning the storyteller 0.1 glory if successful. However, your final total will count as 10 less for determining if you are an event winner or not. E.g. If you roll 35 then you would gain 0.1 glory, but only count as having rolled 25 for the purposes of determining a winner.

Winning prizes:
1st place - Your story is scribed by Doji Yoshino and given to you as a pillow book along with a small collection of a half dozen other pillow books. These include the most popular current stories from the capital. You also gain 0.3 glory.
2nd place - A luxury tea hamper and tea set, provided by the town's tea houses. The silver needle tea included is particularly prized. You also gain 0.2 glory.
3rd place - A bottle of local sake. You also gain 0.1 glory.

Last place if more than five participants - A writing box... so that next time you write down your story instead.

[Bayushi Choudai]

Choudai put in an appearance, no doubt to the consternation of anyone present with any familiarity with his sense of judgment.

He wasn't even consistent in making bad decisions, which meant everyone had to wait and see what he would come up with.

He... talked about the war.

Of COURSE he talked about the war.

The war in which his clan and everyone's mutual hosts, the Crane, had been merrily killing one another all over Naishou Province (along with plenty of Lion contributions to the heaps of bodies on both sides.)

But to the shock of everyone present, he managed to navigate his thorny subject, mostly through an engaging delivery- and speaking with the utmost respect for his Clan's adversaries.

He took the stage and spoke simply.

"As some of you may know, I served as a quartermaster in the armies of the Scorpion during the recent... events in Naishou Province. It was not a role that afforded me many opportunities to witness the valor of the Lion and Crane armies firsthand- which is, no doubt, why I am here to tell the tale. The last Scoprion Bushi to leave Naishou Province."

He took a deep breath.

"War is the arena of bushi, and it is a very serious business. Even simple matters like making sure the troops had barley to eat required the utmost precision. It was time-consuming. Inglorious in the extreme, but, as I reminded myself every day, important. My Duty was clear. But it was... a challenge. Seeing other samurai handling frontline duties, fighting and dying, while I just balanced my ledgers and made sure everyone was getting their allotments. Oh, I did what I could to see some action- running rations to forward positions, checking on our supply lines... I took it poorly that others were fighting and dying, while all I did was keep the supplies running. I wasn't much younger then, but I was vastly less experienced."

He shrugged.

"You know how it goes. All young, unblooded bushi think they just need one chance to match the heroics of Doji Hoturi or Matsu Tsuko. I chafed at my role in the war, even as the skill and valor of our opponents made our position less and less tenable. We suffered losses? 'Oh, Bayushi-sama, please, I can fight, send me in their place!' We pulled back? 'Baysuhi-sama, our shorter supply lines mean I'm less necessary here now.' I think by the end, I was granted leave to fight only because my superiors knew we were retreating, that we had lost, but whatever the reason, I got my chance to seek death or glory in battle."

Choudai held his hands out, palms up.

"I donned my armor, took my blades, and went to join a rearguard unit. But of course, by the time I got to where they were supposed to be, they were gone. All I found was a soup pot I'd sent forward a few hours prior."

The Scorpion chuckled.

"I cannot tell you why I picked it up. Force of habit, I suppose. So here I am, no serious battlefield experience, blundering around in the woods of Naishou with a soup pot in my left hand and my katana in my right. And I was furious! Where was my unit? Why had they left their position? I started looking for that unit- or really, any Scorpion unit. I was long past feeling picky when I finally doubled back to return to the command tent to find out what I was supposed to do."

A beat.

"Then I saw why they had withdrawn. The Matsu infantry had already pressed through our front line, driving everything before them. And there I was, still carrying that stupid soup pot. Clearly, my orders had been superseded, and I needed to regroup... but where?"

He shrugged.

"I couldn't find anybody to ask. And for all of the bravado I'd felt earlier, taking on an entire unit of Lion Clan bushi by myself was... starting to sound less like a way to become a hero, and more like a way to become a footnote in a casualty list, perhaps with a comment about bone-deep stupidity. So I finally figured out I should drop the stupid pot, and I kept moving through the woods, looking for someone- anyone- to fall in with."

Another pause.

"I got completely lost, to the point where if I heard the sound of fighting, I made right for it- but it was always over by the time I got there, and without even the need to collect the daisho of the fallen- the Lion had seen to that. It was starting to seem like my best course of action would be to hurl myself against any Lion samurai I could find- at least I knew my swords would be returned to my family, and I'd be spared the trouble of further staggering about in the forests of Naishou Province. I had gone from seeking glory, to simply seeking a quick death that wouldn't see my ancestral swords lost in the woods."

He made a seesaw motion with his hand.

"And, you know, maybe I'd find them offguard or unready and maybe even win, I mean... sure, they'd smashed through far more skilled bushi than I was, but hope springs eternal, especially in the mind of a young fool... I heard voices ahead of me, talking about regrouping. So, with my blade at the ready, I burst out of the undergrowth- directly into the line of sight of three tired, weary Scorpion bushi, who had been detailed to watch the border for stragglers."

He bowed.

"Which is how I came to be the last Scorpion Clan bushi to withdraw from Naishou Province."

[D7/ME Event, What to Say? Etiquette/Awareness, TN: 20 | 5k3 ⇒ 14 (TN: 20)

D7/ME Event, How to Say It? Investigation/Perception, TN: 20 | 6k3 ⇒ 26 (TN: 20)

D7/ME Event, Tell it Well- Storytelling/Awareness, TN 25 thank to failing step 1, spending Void for +1k1, +5 to roll from passing step 2 | 5k4+5 ⇒ 25 (TN: 25) Passed by the skin of my teeth!]

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

Hatsuki took a deep breath and took to the stage, starting facing the audience in 3/4, as it not quite ready to face them. Her voice echoed through the hall. Empty. Ominous. A chill suffused the air from her mere tone, a confession of the horrors to come.

"There was a time in my life when I did not watch many plays; certainly not as many as I do now. I was young... naive. I had no idea of the limits of the medium."

She began pacing, slowly.

"I had heard, of course, about the greatest of them, even seen a few. The Battle of Last Stand River. The Death of Hantei. Eventually, I married into the Shosuro and this was truly where my eyes were opened. I found myself practicing my art in tandem with the actors, expressing the characters through my makeup. It meant that I was obligated not only to delve into the classics that were held up as true classics of the medium, but also different works. Some new, some old, good and bad. A few of them were truly strange."

She paused only briefly, allowing this knowledge to sink in.

"I watched one where a girl becomes a play herself. I watched one where a bunch of different characters with interconnected stories come in and out of a heimin's store. I watched one where a talking pony makes acting students stage fight in a time loop."

The expressions of confusion that passed over the faces in the audience was a joy, but she didn't let it show on her face. She kept it dead serious. All of those were real plays, after all.

"Even plays meant to castigate the basest instincts of the audience eventually became simply a natural part of daily life. There was, however, one play. One play that carries a terror in its depths that most will never know. One play that has lived in quiet infamy, whispered amongst those who frequent or participate in the theatre. One that is, on rare occasion, shown to those that must see the worst, to understand the true depths possible."

"It was this play that brought me to the theatre that day. This play, where I had to force my hand into the motions of applying the actors' makeup. This play, that I should not... nay, could not look away from."

She paused in her pacing, going completely still and looking stage left.

"Three Ronin and a Boat."

A few knew the name, and she heard their horrified gasps and murmurs. Would she truly discuss... that?

"I had no idea what I was getting into the day I entered that theater. I was given simple descriptions of the characters' personalities and was told to create something as disturbing as I could think of without delving into the truly untoward. They told me... 'Be Creative'. Some of you know that only terror lurks in those two words. 'Creative how?' My query was met only with silent shaking of the director's head. There would be no more guidance."

She took a long breath.

"I followed that order, not knowing what I was truly unleashing upon the world. Many of you are familiar with my work by now. So let me emphasize to you that I put my all into those two words: disturbing and creative. Yet, the characters were all too human."

She closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. Finally, after a moment of seeming to gather herself, she raised her chin to continue.

"Once I was finished, they urged me to go out into the audience. To experience the play as others would. I had no idea what was in store."

Her eyes grow distant, as if watching it all again.

"Perhaps it was originally meant as some terrible attempt at comedy. A lampooning of theatre itself. But it couldn't be. Even that had limits on how poor its taste could be."

"There was an apple. If you could call it that. One of the students threw up right there in the theater when it was..." She visibly shivered. "... consumed."

"Do you know what a haddock is? I do. Do you know what happens when it's... tickled? I wish I didn't. And that was only a prelude to the... the fishing rod fight. I didn't know that could be done with fishing rods. Never mind so believably acted. Assuming it was acted..."

"Several members of the audience looked like they were ready to challenge someone to a duel. Perhaps anyone. There was no one to punish for this thing, though."

"Then there were the lights. How they managed it, I will never know. The whole play appeared to take place in slow motion. Or perhaps it was simply the experience of it, the crawl of time as we all looked on in mounting horror. There were multiple other usages of that word in play. I will not discuss them in detail here. I don't wish those who must hear my tale to suffer further."

"There were multiple musical numbers. I don't know what key any of them were trying for. But despite the fact that every chord was actively dissonant, the songs clung to my brain for days, years afterward. I will never be free of 'In the Face'."

She shook her head.

"Eventually, the nightmare came to an end, and the entire audience suddenly found themselves released from the sort of horrified trance that the play had put all of us in. We were all united in that moment, having seen into the mouth of madness. There truly is such a thing as trauma bonding. Those who become fast friends during the course of war, suffering... or having to watch Three Ronin and a Boat."

She bowed to the audience.

"Thank you all for your time."

[Getting to Know You, Etiquette/Awareness | 7k4 ⇒ 38 (TN: 20)

Getting to Know You, Courtier/Perception, Void | 6k3 ⇒ 26 (TN: 20)

Getting to Know You, Perform: Storytelling/Awareness, Void | 7k5 ⇒ 37 (TN: 15)

+5 from How To Say It Success = 42 final total]

Credits:
The original Three Ronin and a Boat
The Moomin Video Hilarious and very worth watching, however - CW: Some legit gross stuff is referenced once; 16 year old getting married (to a moomin)

[Asahina Asano]

Asahina Asano was no story teller; Not that she didn't like stories, or telling them even. She loved both deeply! She just wasn't any good at it. Her friends and family always said she had a tendency to ramble and get off track. So her main thing today was to keep on track.



Asano knew enough to pick something appropriate, but she wasn't about to practice or such. Even if she probably should have. No, if she was going to keep it together it was best to not prepare to much and have to remember some sort of script. Best to keep it natural.

So she made her way up to the stage and sat formally on the provided cushion and told the the tale of warding the inn. Yes, it was recent. No, it wasn't very exciting. But the very same rambling that Asano usually had had the added effect of making the story more unpredictable, more exciting. A mundane but spiritual task in the middle of the night turned into a horror story of movement in the shadows and ghosts in the steam from one's breath.

It still wasn't the best told story; It was a bit anticlimactic, and some of Asano's voices and such were almost childish in how she did them. But the audience couldn't help but be drawn in anyways.

--------------
Day 7, ME, Getting to Know You, part 1, Etiquette/Awareness, TN20 | 5k4 ⇒ 26 (TN: 20)

Day 7, ME, Getting to Know You, part 2, Investigation/Perception Tn20, unskilled, VP 2/3 from Day 7 for skill | 3k2 ⇒ 6 (TN: 20)

Day 7, ME, Getting to Know You, part 3, Storytelling/Awareness, TN15, unskilled, VP 3/3 for Day 7 for +1k1 | 5k5 ⇒ 30 (TN: 15)

Final Score: 30

[Kitsune Shizenko]

Shizenko knew the story she wanted to tell. The shugenja was a little nervous and didn't trade the crowd that well. She started to tell a story about a fox and a hound. Slowly, she got the pace but her lack of experience showed.

//D7 ME Event what to say Etiquette Awa TN 20 | 6k3 ⇒ 27 (TN: 20)

D7 ME Event How to say it Courtier Per TN 20 | 4k3 ⇒ 16 (TN: 20)

D7 ME Event tell it well Storytelling Awa Untrained VP +1k1 TN 15 | 4k4 ⇒ 22 (TN: 15)

I lack inspiration to write a whole story my apologies.

[Matsu Inori]

At the ripe age of 14 years of age, Inori had vast, untapped depths to plumb - but then, the purpose was to show the others a facet of oneself. To let them see a bit, to amuse and introduce.

Alright then. She stepped forward and cleared her voice, then launched into it:

"Not so long ago there had been a time I was laid up at home, in the estate. I had just returned from my Gempukku, and...some things had happened." some of which I will never be able to talk about in polite company "One of which was me having to say goodbye to my previous ambitions to become a famous Bushi"

Short pause. It hadn't been that long ago, and Inori would be lying if she claimed she was entirely over it. Hadn't been back then...

"I was lost in the shuffle. My bushi family did not know what to do with me, neither did anyone else for the time being, and there I was. Sitting around, walking around the grounds and the mansion itself, looking here and there for things to do. Painted some things, but eventually gravitated towards the decorative pond in one of the courtyards. All nice, with stones, carefully groomed tree, some Koi, also a spirit...that's what originally drew me there. Sat there. Painted a little, watched the spirit, the fish..."

Pause.

"But as the days dragged on, while I came there, I gradually lost my motivation, and eventually just sat there and stared at the water. Which is when, one afternoon, the most perfect Koi carp I've ever seen swam out in front of me. I rose for a closer look - and it swam away and just...disappeared. To this day I cannot tell you exactly what drew me to that fish so much....but I wanted another glance."

She looked around a bit, unsure. Made brief eye contact with a few of the listeners, then continued.

"So I came back another time - to no avail. Came again at different times during the day. Threw some feed into the pond to draw the Koi. Pranced around the pond, tried to get a glimpse from a different angle. I had nothing else to do just then so for a few days...that was my project. I WAS going to get another glimpse. Watched the other Koi like a hawk to figure out their patterns. Examined the pond. Paced. Stared, and generally obsessed. All to no avail. I was beginning to doubt my sanity, thought I had imagined it all"

The Matsu shook her head and smiled.

"Eventually I drew up a painting of the water spirit, and drawing up all my courage, all the pent-up frustration...summoned it. And just pleaded with it to just...show me that Koi. It took quite a bit of bargaining and promises - and then, eventually, the spirit just showed me a vision of the Koi, sitting underwater among a group of stones - where it hid whenever any human came to the pond."

Her smile widened.

"You know, I don't even know what the lesson is, here. That if you want a thing, you should strive for it? That hard work will propel you towards your goal eventually."

Short pause.

"That I should have studied the spirits sooner to find my true strength, allowing me to fulfil my wishes?"

she spread her hands, palm up, in a disarming gesture.

"Me, personally? I figured out I could have had that all, without the hassle, if I'd just done nothing. Just sat there, unmoving."

Final short pause.

"And I'm still burning incense for that spirit to this day"

She bowed, waited a bit for the audience's reaction and then left the stage.


Step 1: Successfully picked a topic
Step 2: 22 on part 2
Step 3: For a final score of 31!

[Doji Yoshino]

(Just for participation fun)

When it was Yoshino's turn she took to the stage to tell a story about her first visit to the beach. It was an unusual story to tell, and the Crane looked more unusual still with her inked face. However, she quickly explained it was the result of a spiritual remedy one Isawa Kojiro had kindly and effectively implemented. She stated she was very grateful for this. None of that made it any less strange to hear about her first visit to the beach, but then again any story would have sounded strange coming from someone with kanji over their face and hands. Barring the story of how they ended up with aforementioned kanji over their face and hands, of course.

So, back to the story.

Yoshino started with the wonder and enjoyment that came with discovery of the beach. The new smells in the air. The feeling of salt water against your skin. Sand, actual specks of sand, up and down the beach. Warm summer rays from Lady Sun just feeling different, more intense and radiant, on a beach. The moving shimmer of that bright sunlight across the water. How the land stretched out, left and right, on and on. The endless ocean before you. Waves going up and down the shore. The mesmerizing sound of those waves. How these joined with the calls of sea birds to form a lively background symphony to the experience. The newfound feeling of sadness at having to leave.

It was an innocent story and Yoshino purposefully left it unclear if it was a memory from her youth or something from adulthood. She told the tale in such a way to resonate with others who had been to the beach. To have the audience recall and relieve their first time by the sea. For many in the audience, it being Crane lands after all, this was possible. There would of course be some who had never set foot on a beach. Perhaps one or two that had never heard about a beach or seen a painting of one. For them she sought to inspire them to imagine what it was like.

Her tone was kept light and informal. It matched with her intentions and the experiences she described. Her voice had an unusual ability to humanise each element, whether she was describing the shock at discovering salt in the water or the irritation of dry sand between one's toes. It could captivate and draw you in if you let it.

The Doji finished like this:

"I've been back since, and to a handful of other beaches besides, but nothing has come close to that first adventure. I recall similar experiences when I saw a painting for the first time or I was praised by my calligraphy sensei for correctly writing rose. That was a challenge. We're all artists here. Never forget your first experience and how you might be providing all kinds of firsts for others, especially those younger than us. I believe we all have stories and experiences to share and in common with one another. I hope we can continue to share them with an open heart." And that was her story's conclusion.

"Thank you for each sharing a bit of yourselves this evening."

It would soon be time for the judging. Which host had she secured to decide the winners?

-----
Etiquette pass
Courtier pass
Storytelling pass

[Asahina Jorujo]

Asahina Jorujo has somehow gotten himself roped into this, but he doesn't mind. He listens attentively and intently, and he announces the winners at the end of it...

Shosuro Hatsuki: 42
Hatsuki is given a small collection of a half dozen pillow books. These include the most popular current stories from the capital. Her story is scribed by Doji Yoshino and given to her as a pillow book on day 8. Hatsuki gains 0.3 glory for her horrifying yet thoroughly mesmerising story.

Matsu Inori: 31
Inori is conferred a luxury tea hamper and tea set, provided by the town's tea houses. The silver needle tea included is particularly prized. Inori also gains 0.2 glory for her enlightening story.

Asahina Asano: 30
Asano is awarded a bottle of local sake. Asano gains 0.1 glory for her entertaining story.

Bayushi Choudai: 25

Kitsune Shizenko: 22
Shizenko is given a consolation prize: a writing box.

(Glory awards take effect at the beginning of D8. Please flag this in your PFs so that GMs can adjust character sheets as needed.)