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Post by Shoju on Jul 21, 2011 8:16:14 GMT -5
As the Yasuki Daimyo re-entered the command tent, Shoju bowed low. "Yasuki-san, An imperial messenger has made us aware of more clans rallying to the defense of the Empire. There should be more Dragon coming this way, and the Crane have fallen into step with us. We have not received word of any Crane coming to our aid at Toshi Ranbo yet, but they have allied with us." Shoju looked down at the map, and back to the Yasuki. Unfortunately, The Mantis have allied with the Shogun."
Shoju paced for a moment, and then looked at the Yasuki. "The Scorpion have yet to formalize their stance in this war. At this point, I fear that the Master of Secrets could hold the key to who is ultimately victorious. I believe that....." Shoju stopped talking, as he realized that the Yasuki's face was troubled. "I'm sorry Yasuki-san, I misread your emotions. What is troubling you?"
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Daigotsu Thrakhath
Spider Clan
Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken
Posts: 600
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Post by Daigotsu Thrakhath on Jul 21, 2011 9:12:56 GMT -5
Thrakhath stood over the map at the center of the tent, leaning against the table with hands spread at its edges. He looked up as the Yasuki daimyo entered but said nothing, allowing Shoju to do all the talking as usual. It's bad enough that we have to extend courtesy to these fools at all, let him be the one to do it. He went back to studying the map, committing as much of it as possible to memory.
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Yasuki Chad
Crane Clan
Crab Clan
*Crab Clan Courtier *Experienced *Samurai *Daimyo *Hero *Experienced *Commander
Posts: 476
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Post by Yasuki Chad on Jul 22, 2011 7:37:16 GMT -5
Yasuki Chad waves Shoju's question away. "It is nothing, duty simply weighs upon me heavily just now." He thinks for a minute. "Hasn't Bayushi Senshi sworn to see you destroyed at any price?"
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Post by Shoju on Jul 22, 2011 8:25:42 GMT -5
Shoju grinned at the Yasuki's question. "Bayushi Senshi is a slave to his emotions. He killed me once. You would think that would be enough to sate a man's thirst. Shoju thought for a moment. Though, the prospect of letting him kill me again to gain him as an ally in this war has crossed my mind. I fear that he is not one who listens to reason. Our last meeting was under peaceful and diplomatic terms, yet he found reason to outnumber my diplomatic envoy 10:1, and attempt to destroy us all.
Shoju walked over and looked out the tent. I think we should have the Phoenix speak with him about defending the Hantei. They are wise, pragmatic, detest me as much as he does, and do not have too much 'history' to cloud any talks. The only thing I feel would be better is if you yourself attempted to be our delegate.
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Yasuki Chad
Crane Clan
Crab Clan
*Crab Clan Courtier *Experienced *Samurai *Daimyo *Hero *Experienced *Commander
Posts: 476
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Post by Yasuki Chad on Jul 22, 2011 20:13:02 GMT -5
"No. No, my place is here. I've other obligations to satisfy. I am the Spider's watcher as it were. My presence is required here for you to do what you've came to do. My Clan has declared for Kaneka as well, my schism might weaken my arguments." He examines the map, wishing it showed farther downstream. After a few moments he smiles.
"This river winds through most of the Empire before reaching Toshi Ranbo. It'd be faster for the Mantis to march overland, through Pheonix or Crane Territory. No, it would be foolish beyond measure for them to try. I believe they will strike the Pheonix."
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Post by Shoju on Jul 27, 2011 8:18:04 GMT -5
While Shoju and the other Shugenja were away at the Bloom of the White Orchid Festival, Construction was beginning on the defense of Toshi Ranbo. Iromasu, The Spider's Head engineer was on hand, and aiding his former Clansman whereever he could. Some had murder in his eyes. Some couldn't bear to look at him. Others, seemed to be asking "why" in their eyes.
Iromasu didn't care. He and his undead workers toiled away day and night in an effort to prepare Toshi Ranbo and the rest of the defenses. They worked day and night, nonstop. It was afterall, the greatest gift the Khadi had given him. Iromasu's life had been his work. He had worked himself into complete exhaustion every time the crab had given him a job. He worked himself into exhaustion when he was captured by the khadi and asked to build him a temple home. Now, In death, there was nothing standing between him and overseeing the entire construction. The khadi had blessed him with 2 teams. One team, comprised solely of undead. They worked tirelessly, until they were told to stop. The other team, willing volunteers. Peasants, looking for power in the eyes of the Khadi. Men who thought they would achieve something greater by following this man. They worked as hard as the undead, but needed rest and food. Iromasu was beginning to see the imperfections of the living.
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Post by Shoju on Aug 6, 2011 13:09:24 GMT -5
Spider Camp
Late in the evening, An Imperial Messenger arrived at the Spider Camp, and tossed a package to a guard. The guard took the package to Daigotsu Fugo in the command tent.
Fugo opened the package to find the bloodied personal effects of Daigotsu Tinishi. He was a Courtier sent to deliver an armistice some time ago, and had been taken prisoner. As Fugo looked over the effects, A Chui rushed in the tent.
"Fugo-sama! There is much for you to see!" And he ran back out the tent. Fugo knew what he was going to see, but he left the tent anyway. There was a combined legion of Crane, Phoenix, and Yasuki coming this way, and it wasn't peaceful. Fugo clutched the crystal around his neck and called for the retreat. Nothing was saved. Nothing was packed, the Spider simply grabbed what they could and began to fall back. The Hantei and those who swore to protect him didn't want the help of the Spider. Fugo's orders were clear. They were not to engage in anything but a full scale retreat until they were past the wall. At this point, Fugo feared they might not make it to the wall. Scouts were sent ahead, Shugenja called upon the air to deliver the messages. Even knowing that this could happen, and preparing, the casualties would be great.
Toshi Ranbo
Iromasu and his crew had been working diligently to prepare the defenses of the capital. It was late at night, and they were working alone in the fields just south of the Western Gate. They had accomplished much, and were hoping to finish this section of the defenses this evening.
The Phoenix inquisitors had been watching from afar. Something caught Iromasu's eye, as he turned his mind barely had enough time to recognize what happened before it was silenced. The Spider Engineering crew was vaporized in moments.
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Yasuki Chad
Crane Clan
Crab Clan
*Crab Clan Courtier *Experienced *Samurai *Daimyo *Hero *Experienced *Commander
Posts: 476
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Post by Yasuki Chad on Aug 7, 2011 11:35:13 GMT -5
"What a mess," Yasuki Chad muttered to himself as he survayed the ruins of the battleground. Here and there fires still burnt where Spider workers had been cut down by sword or spell. Despite orders to minimize damage to the fortifications, it seemed some were over-enthusiastic. The Spider didn't even fight back, allied casualties where nearly nonexistant and Chad privately thought what battlefield deaths there had been were disguised feuds being resolved.
"What a mess...."
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Khamul
Spider Clan
Monk - Kensei - Sensei of the Venomous Shrine
Posts: 70
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Post by Khamul on Aug 8, 2011 22:35:47 GMT -5
From his vantage in a tree some distance away, Khamul looked at the wreckage of the Spider camp in the distance.
"Fools..."
Still, it mattered little. The monk had decided long ago to test his metal against Toturi's forces and he would not be denied. The Hantei's defenders would receive his assistance...
His eyes narrowed.
"...whether they wish for it or not."
Khamul dropped silently from the branches and disappeared into the growing darkness.
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Tenshi
Ronin
? 'Reborn' Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry
Posts: 62
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Post by Tenshi on Aug 8, 2011 23:49:18 GMT -5
((OOC: This is meant to be a bit of a one off post. I didn't wish to put it in its own thread so it'll just be here to sort of verify where Tenshi's gotten off to, this concludes her participation in this thread.))
It was a memory that this woman couldn't put out of her mind. She rode hard into the dark night as the Empire continued to forsake her. Her mind drifted into the past as she recalled the wet sounds of the caverns she'd perished in. For months all she could hear was the distant sounds of water seeping through the earth...
The sound, a drip, a slow relentless flow of life.
The evening after the decision of the Imperial courts to execute any Spider who had gone forth to present themselves to the quarreling leaders was a breath of relief for Utaku Chinatsu. That evening she had finished her training regiment with a new generation of up and coming Shiotome. But as she held the lantern to aid her fading eyesight, she knew all too well that she could not continue her work for the Utaku family for much longer. The news came on the back of a Shinjo rider, and Chinatsu held the message in her heart with pride. The taint would not be something that would so easily try and solidify its place in the empire. The night was cool, even for midsummer as only the gentle stirring of horses and dogs echoed around the Utaku's homesteads. With a lumbering gate, the old Utaku sensei made her way back, and much to her surprise her eyes fell on people standing outside her home. She raised the lantern to her face, the light of it etching out the deep lines in her brow and cheeks in a dull light. As she continued to look on, she came to realize it was her beloved husband Utaku Ryota standing along with another more heavily armored woman. Her experienced eyes could spot the features of the Shiotome quite easily even in the darkness. But what came next was nothing she could have ever anticipated, for her husband had his back to her, and as she approached the woman speaking to him moved in a strange fashion, holding a blood coated blade aloft. Utaku Ryota fell to the ground without a sound, limp and unarmed.
The blood pooled where he landed as the piercing eyes of the murderer then turned up and fixed on Chinatsu. The near obsidian armor was nothing like what she'd seen before, and as she was charged upon, the glint of deep purple caught in the faint lantern light. Utaku Chinatsu didn't even have time to draw her own blade as she was cut down mercilessly on the road. The image of her lost daughter's eyes forever burned into her mind as her breath and life faded from her.
The Shiotome only stood over her for a moment to ensure that she did indeed pass, and when her eyes were satisfied she took the lantern for herself and dragged the corpses to the house. Using the flame she ensured that it would be set alight and the two would fade into the ashes. Tenshi shed no tears for her parents, such emotions had already left her long ago as she watched it burn. Only the uneasy nosing of her Utaku steed made her aware that she would draw attention to herself soon enough.
Tenshi paused only for a moment longer as she still held her blade at her side. She closed her eyes listening as the blood of her parents dripped off it. A drip, slow, relentless, the loss of life.
She took up her steed and rode off again as the place she once called her home would burn into the night. The Spider were asked to fall on their blades.. but she did not, for she was not a Spider but merely the servant of the Chuda, and she would continue to live on so long as he wished it. Her rage sated in the chaos of the building war, there would be no one to blame for the tragic accident at the Utaku homestead.
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Daigotsu Thrakhath
Spider Clan
Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken
Posts: 600
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Post by Daigotsu Thrakhath on Aug 10, 2011 10:02:20 GMT -5
Lying on his stomach on the side of a nearby hill, Thrakhath watched as the Spider camp burned below him. His expression betrayed no emotion, but within him was a turmoil of emotions, chief among them was a renewed hatred for the great clans of Rokugan. You should have anticipated this, Daigotsu, he thought to himself. The clans will never accept our existence, and now we can expect them to seek our destruction as soon as this civil war of theirs is over. It was only his minor training among the Goju that had allowed him to escape the destruction unharmed, though his mastery of their techniques was extremely limited and it had been a near thing.
Behind him, the horse he had commandeered snorted irritably and stamped its foot in the ground. I'll have to renew the spell, he thought unhappily. He crouched low to avoid being seen and crossed to the horse, drawing his tanto as he moved. The animal only got more agitated as he closed the distance. Thrakhath gripped it firmly by the mane and cut the animal's hide, smearing the blood as he muttered a spell. The animal screamed once, but fell silent as Thrakhath completed the magic. He heard a commotion nearby; no doubt someone had heard the animal's cry and would be investigating soon. He mounted the horse and kicked hard at its sides, riding away from the capital as fast as the beast would carry him.
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Kakita Hiroshi
Crane Clan
* Duelist * Courtier * Magistrate * Warrior Poet *
Posts: 285
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Post by Kakita Hiroshi on Aug 14, 2011 4:34:21 GMT -5
Kakita Hiroshi arrived near the Crab and Dragon command tent, ordering his archers to stay put. He entered the tent, looked around, and bowed to those present. After being allowed to speak, he addressed the Yasuki daimyo.
“Yasuki Chad-sama, I am Kakita Hiroshi, taisa of Crane archers assigned to defend the City against the attackers. I would wish to ask you for your wise advice as to how to best use your fortifications to position my unit, to be able to hurt the approaching enemy the most, while also having the best route to fall back to the City walls, should we, Kami forbid, be forced to abandon the outer defences.”
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Yasuki Chad
Crane Clan
Crab Clan
*Crab Clan Courtier *Experienced *Samurai *Daimyo *Hero *Experienced *Commander
Posts: 476
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Post by Yasuki Chad on Aug 18, 2011 19:49:27 GMT -5
"Welcome Hiroshi-sama. It is good to see another friendly force", The Crab Daimyo sports several fresh wounds, it is obvious the fighting around the western fortifications has been fierce in the past few days. The wooden palisade surounding the camp is damaged in more then a few places and peasent work crews constantly seem to be repairing damaged spots as Tamori shugenja manipulate the earth to be more suitable.
"Your men would have the best vantage point from the top of the Gatehouse. The Yasuki-house guard are stationed at the gate and to either side. If the gatehouse or walls are breached you and the dragon will set fire to the camp as you retreat to the city proper, the Yasuki will cover you.
The Crab lord sighs heavily.
"Truth be told Taisa, the fortifications are ment to fall. But it is too soon. We must hold until the full Lion army has arrived here. The tower is rigged to collapes when a certain combination of levers in the basment is activated. I an my honor guard will perform that duty. The Rubble is ment to trap their lead elements in the burnt ruins of our basecamp where archers on the wall can cut them down wholesale, and also to block them from reinforceing their vanguard or properly exploiting whatever advantage allowed them to take the gatehouse in the first place."
"Good luck Hiroshi-sama."
It may be the wounds or his obvious exhaustion, but you get the distinct impressine the Yasuki Lord does not believe he will survive this. He talks as one who is already dead.
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Kakita Mitsouko
Crane Clan Mod
::Daimyo::Kenshinzen::Hatamoto of Crane Clan::Paragon of Duty
Posts: 1,952
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Post by Kakita Mitsouko on Aug 18, 2011 20:16:14 GMT -5
OCC: Chad-sama, my apologies I thought the western Gates thing would follow in “Crane Forces Arrival”. I had replied there and was waiting to meet you in the Western gates as well. In the other thread there are more players in the scene, but if you prefer, we can continue here… Shall we?
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Yasuki Chad
Crane Clan
Crab Clan
*Crab Clan Courtier *Experienced *Samurai *Daimyo *Hero *Experienced *Commander
Posts: 476
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Post by Yasuki Chad on Aug 18, 2011 20:25:24 GMT -5
We can move to the Western Gate. I was also somewhat confused about the "where" when Hiroshi-sama replied in this thread.
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