Kakita Hitoshi
Crane Clan
Be more concerned with good actions than great ones
Posts: 306
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Post by Kakita Hitoshi on Sept 4, 2011 18:34:36 GMT -5
(OOC: This is a closed RP thread about a mission to find Doji Kenna, a Crane courtier with valuable information, and bring him back to Toshi Ranbo. We would welcome other people; please PM Kenna or myself if you'd like to be involved.)
The rain lashed down unceasingly as they approached the village on the border of Otomo lands. As far as Hitoshi remembered, there had been a Daidoji garrison stationed there months ago which would provide valuable reinforcements, as his own hand picked team of men had suffered losses getting thus far.
He closed his eyes briefly, remembering fallen companions. It was a glorious death to die in combat, fighting for the Emperor, but the screams of the wounded and the dying still echoed in his ears. They had travelled quickly, relying on the skill of the Daidoji scouts to avoid combat where possible. On more than one occasion they had encountered a Lion patrol, however, and had had to fight savagely to ensure that no one escaped. Hitoshi had no fear of combat and had twice fought duels to the death in court, but iaijutsu was a world away from slowly forcing a broken spear shaft through the eye of a samurai-ko whilst grappling in the mud. He felt sullied, older somehow than when he had departed.
Opening his eyes again, and wiping the accumulation of rainwater from his brow, Hitoshi scanned the village. It was late at night, and he could see no one, but he was now familiar enough with the Daidoji to suspect that the tranquillity of a sleeping village might be nothing more than an illusion. Displaying his Crane mon clearly he signalled to his men and advanced into the village.
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 6, 2011 9:27:14 GMT -5
As he advanced with Hitoshi, Sojiro took a second to glance over at the younger man. It seemed that the events of the evening were having an effect on him - the same sobering effect that battle has on everyone when they first see it face to face in all it's ugly detail. The older man spoke quietly, so that no one but Hitoshi could hear him.
"War is an ugly thing, Hitoshi-San. For all the tales of glory that are told, if we lose sight of the truth of things, we lose a part of what makes us human." He sighed. Unfortunately, the neccessity of war is also an ugly truth at this time. Is this your first time in command of a force of men?" Sojiro's eyes continued to take in every detail of the village as he spoke. The Crane's enemies probably hadn't gotten this far yet, but there was no reason to take chances. He knew the Otomo lands very well thanks to his late father's close relationship with the family, and would be able to tell if anything was amiss.
At least, he hoped he would.
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Kakita Hitoshi
Crane Clan
Be more concerned with good actions than great ones
Posts: 306
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Post by Kakita Hitoshi on Sept 6, 2011 9:51:31 GMT -5
Hai Sojiro-san. Hitoshi smiled wryly. Is it that obvious? He paused briefly before continuing. It is a strange thing to command men to their deaths. I am not afraid of combat; my previous duties as a magistrate have meant that I have often had to fight. But not like this.
My sensei at the Duelling Academy often said to me that if a thing is worth doing then it is worth doing well and with beauty, but when we were fighting that patrol a couple of hours ago... I slipped in the mud and all the elegant mizu-do throws I know became useless. I found myself fighting like a Crab, doing whatever I had to to survive.
He sighed. But anyway, we need to find Doji Kenna-sama, and I have no idea where he might be. By our best estimates he shouldn't be too far from this village if he is travelling both quickly and quietly. I was thinking of waiting here for him and hoping that the resident Daidoji might send out scouts to nearby routes to search for signs of his presence. What do you think? At the very least it would allow us time for a hot meal and a respite from this wretched weather!
Saying this, Hitoshi strode straight towards the largest house and banged loudly on the door.
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Post by Doji Kenna on Sept 6, 2011 21:44:33 GMT -5
He supposed it had only been a matter of time until they encountered Lion soldiers, that they had made it so long without such a meeting had been very fortunate. They had not been caught unawares, but the Lion had possessed superior numbers. Even with the superior knowledge of local terrain that the Daidoji had for the area, staying to fight would have been a losing prospect. That had been an hour ago, and though they had lost pursuit for the moment, it was only a matter of time before they were again caught.
The village came into view again as they rounded the small wood. At about the same time Daidoji Shuen, the ranking officer of the bodyguard, came riding up from the rear of the column. He bowed in that polite but expeditious manner soldiers used so effectively in times of crisis; 'Doji-sama, Lion forces are in pursuit, more than we can defeat.' 'Understood Gunso-san, prepare to hold the village against them, we shall order the heimin to flee and trust in the exuberance of the Lion and the martial spirit of the Crane to allow for some of my staff to continue on; our dispatches must reach Toshi Ranbo Hai Doji-sama, it shall be so.
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 7, 2011 2:15:29 GMT -5
Sojiro moved to stop Hitoshi - walking right up to a door in a quiet village like this, during the middle of a war, could easily invite an arrow from a frightened heimin, or an ambush from an enemy hiding within, or a....
Hinto interrupted his paranoia before he had a chance to voice any of it to Hitoshi. Sojiro had pulled a few strings to get the men he had under his command assigned to this mission. He knew their value, and he also knew exactly how useful Hinto's eyesight would be when it came to spotting danger and possible ambushes - After all, if the young bushi hadn't spotted that Lion officer giving his speech a few days ago, his unit would never have known about the incoming charge until it was to late to stop it.
The keen-eyed bushi swiftly came up from behind him. "Gunso," he whispered, "We have riders approaching, bearing the Crane mon, I believe. They could be the force we were sent to find."
"Excellent work, Hinto-San. Where are they now?
"Currently at the far end of the village. It looks as if they are preparing to split their forces for some reason... perhaps they were spotted on their return here?"
Sojiro tapped Hitoshi on his shoulder and relayed the information to him.
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Kakita Hitoshi
Crane Clan
Be more concerned with good actions than great ones
Posts: 306
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Post by Kakita Hitoshi on Sept 8, 2011 3:10:44 GMT -5
Hitoshi nodded approval at Hinto.
"Good spot. We'll deal with the locals later; first let's find out what we've got incoming."
He gestured rapidly, firing out orders to split into three groups. Two would assume positions on either flank and cover the central party with yumi, whilst they approached the riders before they split.
"If the Fortunes are being kind to us, this might be our man" Hitoshi whispered to Sojiro as they moved towards the riders. Their approach appeared to cause consternation amongst the horsemen who swiftly adopted a defensive position around a man in the centre. Hitoshi bowed politely.
"Konnichiwa my friends. What brings you here on such an unpleasant night?"
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 8, 2011 10:38:11 GMT -5
"The Crane certainly could use a bit of kindness from the fates right now, Hitoshi-san."
Sojiro kept silent as the center group approached the riders and let Hitoshi do the talking, making sure that his Crane mon was blatantly visible. He would have gone with one of the flanking groups, except for the fact that he was absolutely worthless with a yumi. In fact, Sojiro had often joked that he had seen children with more accuracy than he possessed - his poorly aimed arrows would likely do more harm than good. So instead he chose to go with the center group, where his skills would be useful if things went wrong.
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Kakita Hitoshi
Crane Clan
Be more concerned with good actions than great ones
Posts: 306
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Post by Kakita Hitoshi on Sept 8, 2011 16:08:30 GMT -5
(OOC: I'm going to be out of touch tomorrow and the weekend, but will pick this up again Monday.)
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 8, 2011 16:58:47 GMT -5
(OOC same here, actually )
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 11, 2011 20:27:41 GMT -5
(OOC I have returned)
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Post by Doji Kenna on Sept 11, 2011 20:45:17 GMT -5
The news that there were what appeared to be Crane forces ahead of them already occupying the village came as something of a relief. Of course, good decorum meant that any visible sign of that relief had to be restrained, especially without confirmation. As the small group of horseman approached Kenna gave a barely visible gesture of his right hand under cover of adjusting the bridle of his horse, Shuen he knew would get the message. Quickly looking over the Kakita in-front of him he gave a polite bow in response to the man's own, 'Konnichiwa Kakita-shi, it is always a pleasure to see relatives, but perhaps we should talk and ride, there are Lion troops in pursuit as we speak.'
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan Global Mod
When you die, will you be remembered, or will you be just another strand in the tapestry?
Posts: 900
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 12, 2011 23:49:41 GMT -5
Sojiro grinned at the man and bowed back. "Konnichiwa, Kenna-san. Mitsouko-sama would like you to return to Toshi Ranbo and she thought that the Lion might take issue with this, so she sent us to discourage them from bothering you any further." He nodded over to Hitoshi. "Unfortunately, I don't think that speed will help us. We have already encountered a few Lion patrols on our way here. Should we get caught between another patrol and the forces pursuing you, we will be outnumbered and outflanked. Besides, we weren't sent on this mission with horses, as none could be spared from Toshi Ranbo's defense." His blue and green eyes swiveled to address Hitoshi. "The final call is yours Hitoshi-san, but my suggestion is that we make the Lion realize how stupid it is to chase the Crane through Otomo lands. Eliminate them here and now, where we have two advantages - we know the land better, and they aren't aware that Kenna-san's unit has been reinforced by us. It will take them completely by surprise. I strongly dislike the possibility of getting caught between two Lion units on our return trip."
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Post by Doji Kenna on Sept 13, 2011 6:05:31 GMT -5
Nodding in response to the words of his new companion Kenna gave another barely noticeable gesture to Shuen to be at ease before replying, Ah, well I am certainly pleased to have your company, a shame it isn't under more pleasant circumstances. I agree with your assessment given the lack of horses. My party is much reduced but Shuen-san here still has twelve Daidoji guardsmen, we also have four yojimbo. Other than that, excluding myself I am afraid my party is full of non-combatants. Disregarding the courtiers we are all at your disposal to confront the Lion.
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Kakita Hitoshi
Crane Clan
Be more concerned with good actions than great ones
Posts: 306
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Post by Kakita Hitoshi on Sept 13, 2011 11:18:10 GMT -5
Hai, I agree - let's make a stand here. If nothing else we have the advantage of surprise as your pursuers won't be expecting us.Hitoshi hurried back towards the houses to raise the village as quietly as possible. In short order the village headman was standing before the assembled samurai, explaining how the garrison had been diverted to Toshi Ranbo. Hitoshi grinned. It looks like it's just us then. Please take the non-combatants and keep them safe amongst you. Your generosity will not be forgotten. He turned to Doji Kenna. Kenna-san, do you wish to go inside or fight with us?
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Post by Doji Kenna on Sept 13, 2011 11:26:08 GMT -5
'My aide has all the information I possess among our dispatches, it is encoded but Doji Naetaru-san is familiar with the cypher should the need arise. I have seen battle before and while I do not enjoy it given the present opportunity I would be remiss not to help avenge my men.
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