Post by Doji Hyuu on Feb 25, 2011 10:42:45 GMT -5
*The air of the mountains was crisp and sharp. Hyuu felt a shiver run through him, and his steed, perhaps sensing its riders discomfort, shivered too. Hyuu reached out a hand and softly patted the horse's neck, murmuring wordless reassurances. The path they were taking was narrow and overgrown, with many ominous looking branches hanging down like the faces of prying relatives, ready to knock an unwary traveler from his saddle. Of course such a fall would bring only embarassment, but Hyuu was superstitious enough that he did not want to begin his journey with a setback, no matter how minor*
*He had had his first sight of his destination an hour or so back, but the mountain path had almost instantly dived back into a gully, obscuring Yobanjin Mura behind high, beautiful, waterfall-threaded stone cliffs. He struggled to maintain a sense of direction - navigation was not a strong suit - but the map he had acquired at Kyuden Asako assured him that this was the path. He found it hard to imagine a Phoenix caravan laden with goods coming or going via this narrow, rocky path. Perhaps the Isawa used some kind of powerful kami to assist them on their journey, he idly wondered? Sadly, he and Asamura had nothing to assist them in their navigation except the map and their own native skills, which in Hyuu's case were neglible. He hoped that once he reached Yobanjin Mura his courtly and conversational skills would come to the fore, and if they did not, hopefully the gifts that hung heavy in both he and Asamura's saddlebags would prove persuasive. All they wanted was information, and information that it would not harm the villagers to give*
*Hyuu paused to reflect on what had brought him here. Ironically, is time in captivity at the hands of Chuktur had made him something of an expert on the Yobanjin; few among his Clan could match even his very brief experience. And knowledge of the Yobanjin was suddenly a necessity. So he had been entrusted with the task of learning what he could of the Yobanjin, and it soon became clear the place to do that was Yobanjin Mura, the half-secret village in Phoenix lands where Yobanjin lived under the protection of the Phoenix Clan. It had taken much research in the Ikoma libraries and courtly maneuverings in Kyuden Asako before Hyuu had even been able to confirm that Yobanjin Mura existed, and weeks to reach it, but finally here he was*
*He had not travelled alone - in Kyuden Asako he had met with Kakita Asamura, the Dragon ambassador to the Crane. But unlike Hyuu, Asamura was as much a warrior as a courtier, and Hyuu admitted to feeling safer in the Kakita's presence. He had never met Asamura before, but he knew him by reputation. Although it would be a stretch to say the two had become firm friends, he certainly found Asamura genial enough company and respected him for the air of quiet, graceful competence he exuded. He could only hope that Asamura felt the same way about him. But even if the Kakita found his presence objectionable, Hyuu was grateful to have a bushi at hand. Ever since escaping from the Yobanjin, he had found himself more watchful of his safety. He would find himself peering at an anonymous copse of trees that, weeks before, he would have gaily ridden past, wondering if it harboured lurking bandits or opportunistic ronin. He would look down on the walls of Kyuden Doji and imagine their being scaled by assassins where before he had only admired the subtle grace of the architecture. And that was in the Crane lands, as familiar to him as the back of his own hand. Here in the Phoenix lands, unfamiliarity added to caution, and made him very grateful to Asamura*
*The irony was that the lands were beautiful. Hyuu had never been one for the deep wilds, but as an artist he appreciated their beauty. The Northern Steppes had been barren, empty. He supposed there had been a beauty to the endless, unbroken sweep of the land, but he had been in no mood to appreciate it. But here, the contours of the land swooped and soared like swallows' flight, and every tree was like a gleaming jewel. Distant mountain tops were capped with elegant cloaks of snow, but the spring thaw was becoming, and every stream was thick with snowmelt. At dawn, pure white mist hung over the banks of the rivers like fine silk, and their channels were lined with tiny, bright purple flowers and thick with healthy silver-scaled fish. It would make a beautiful painting, but Hyuu found time only for preliminary sketches. Perhaps his memory would allow him to recreate it later. A gift to the Phoenix Champion, perhaps?*
*He snapped out of his reverie as the path's rise levelled out. Yobanjin Mura appeared again. The village was small, even unexceptional. The only thing that marked it out as different from the numerous other small hamlets that they had passed in their journey through the Phoenix provinces was the alien style of architecture - the Yobanjin favoured crude, heavy wooden logs and thickly tarred thatch rather than the tiles and planks of traditional Rokugani architecture. Hyuu surveyed the village, then wheeled his steed to face Asamura*
"Asamura-san - it seems we are nearly here. Before we head into the village, though, maybe we should discuss our plans. Obviously we are both tired, and it is late. I presume there is some kind of resting house for travellers, even if it is crude, and that some of the villagers will speak enough Rokugani to direct us there. We can begin our enquiries anew tomorrow morning. I don't want to seem derelict in our duty, but it has been a long day for me and I don't quite trust my wits without some rest to bolster them"
*Hyuu took out a small riceball and began to unwrap its nori shell as he waited for Asamura to answer, holding out another ball for the Kakita should he desire it. Behind him, the high mountains behind Yobanjin Mura loomed high against the evening sky, their vast, inky shadows slowly crawling across the village as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind them to the west*
OOC: I'm guessing all our intrepid Samurai will end up heading to the traveller's rest, which given Yobanjin Mura's small size, will probably just be the village headman's house. So it's probably best if everybody begins by posting about their arrival and heading to the traveller's rest, and then we can interact once we're all there.
*He had had his first sight of his destination an hour or so back, but the mountain path had almost instantly dived back into a gully, obscuring Yobanjin Mura behind high, beautiful, waterfall-threaded stone cliffs. He struggled to maintain a sense of direction - navigation was not a strong suit - but the map he had acquired at Kyuden Asako assured him that this was the path. He found it hard to imagine a Phoenix caravan laden with goods coming or going via this narrow, rocky path. Perhaps the Isawa used some kind of powerful kami to assist them on their journey, he idly wondered? Sadly, he and Asamura had nothing to assist them in their navigation except the map and their own native skills, which in Hyuu's case were neglible. He hoped that once he reached Yobanjin Mura his courtly and conversational skills would come to the fore, and if they did not, hopefully the gifts that hung heavy in both he and Asamura's saddlebags would prove persuasive. All they wanted was information, and information that it would not harm the villagers to give*
*Hyuu paused to reflect on what had brought him here. Ironically, is time in captivity at the hands of Chuktur had made him something of an expert on the Yobanjin; few among his Clan could match even his very brief experience. And knowledge of the Yobanjin was suddenly a necessity. So he had been entrusted with the task of learning what he could of the Yobanjin, and it soon became clear the place to do that was Yobanjin Mura, the half-secret village in Phoenix lands where Yobanjin lived under the protection of the Phoenix Clan. It had taken much research in the Ikoma libraries and courtly maneuverings in Kyuden Asako before Hyuu had even been able to confirm that Yobanjin Mura existed, and weeks to reach it, but finally here he was*
*He had not travelled alone - in Kyuden Asako he had met with Kakita Asamura, the Dragon ambassador to the Crane. But unlike Hyuu, Asamura was as much a warrior as a courtier, and Hyuu admitted to feeling safer in the Kakita's presence. He had never met Asamura before, but he knew him by reputation. Although it would be a stretch to say the two had become firm friends, he certainly found Asamura genial enough company and respected him for the air of quiet, graceful competence he exuded. He could only hope that Asamura felt the same way about him. But even if the Kakita found his presence objectionable, Hyuu was grateful to have a bushi at hand. Ever since escaping from the Yobanjin, he had found himself more watchful of his safety. He would find himself peering at an anonymous copse of trees that, weeks before, he would have gaily ridden past, wondering if it harboured lurking bandits or opportunistic ronin. He would look down on the walls of Kyuden Doji and imagine their being scaled by assassins where before he had only admired the subtle grace of the architecture. And that was in the Crane lands, as familiar to him as the back of his own hand. Here in the Phoenix lands, unfamiliarity added to caution, and made him very grateful to Asamura*
*The irony was that the lands were beautiful. Hyuu had never been one for the deep wilds, but as an artist he appreciated their beauty. The Northern Steppes had been barren, empty. He supposed there had been a beauty to the endless, unbroken sweep of the land, but he had been in no mood to appreciate it. But here, the contours of the land swooped and soared like swallows' flight, and every tree was like a gleaming jewel. Distant mountain tops were capped with elegant cloaks of snow, but the spring thaw was becoming, and every stream was thick with snowmelt. At dawn, pure white mist hung over the banks of the rivers like fine silk, and their channels were lined with tiny, bright purple flowers and thick with healthy silver-scaled fish. It would make a beautiful painting, but Hyuu found time only for preliminary sketches. Perhaps his memory would allow him to recreate it later. A gift to the Phoenix Champion, perhaps?*
*He snapped out of his reverie as the path's rise levelled out. Yobanjin Mura appeared again. The village was small, even unexceptional. The only thing that marked it out as different from the numerous other small hamlets that they had passed in their journey through the Phoenix provinces was the alien style of architecture - the Yobanjin favoured crude, heavy wooden logs and thickly tarred thatch rather than the tiles and planks of traditional Rokugani architecture. Hyuu surveyed the village, then wheeled his steed to face Asamura*
"Asamura-san - it seems we are nearly here. Before we head into the village, though, maybe we should discuss our plans. Obviously we are both tired, and it is late. I presume there is some kind of resting house for travellers, even if it is crude, and that some of the villagers will speak enough Rokugani to direct us there. We can begin our enquiries anew tomorrow morning. I don't want to seem derelict in our duty, but it has been a long day for me and I don't quite trust my wits without some rest to bolster them"
*Hyuu took out a small riceball and began to unwrap its nori shell as he waited for Asamura to answer, holding out another ball for the Kakita should he desire it. Behind him, the high mountains behind Yobanjin Mura loomed high against the evening sky, their vast, inky shadows slowly crawling across the village as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind them to the west*
OOC: I'm guessing all our intrepid Samurai will end up heading to the traveller's rest, which given Yobanjin Mura's small size, will probably just be the village headman's house. So it's probably best if everybody begins by posting about their arrival and heading to the traveller's rest, and then we can interact once we're all there.