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 Masako SoraMasako was a bit away from the others - those who weren't kept away from for being out and out youkai were sat away from for being too rude to their Lord... and Tsukiko was avoided for being too close to one or the other. She did give a solid smile to Akihiro, as well as a deep bow, "Yes, I hope we satisfied your curiosity, and met your expectations." Inwardly, she was wondering if Payata was intentionally acting such, and not truly such a fool. Regardless, she was effective enough in a fight, so Masako would keep her complaints to herself - above manners or graces came their duty. So long as they could carry out such duties, the priestess had no problems with working even with the Oni. ((Sorry, been kinda sucked into the new Dragon Age))
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Nov 24, 2014 06:04
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 21:10 |
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Looking a bit apprehensive, Akihiro rubs the back of his head. "Ah, well, really, I wasn't sure what to expect!" He grins sheepishly. "But that was really impressive! I think anyone who could stand up to Shoko must be pretty tough... so ah, thank you. I'm lucky to be in such good company." A bit awkward, but he speaks with the practiced politeness of the court. He laughs at Payata's antics and gestures towards the doors. "I'm hungry too." Heading down one of the galleon's old elegant halls Akihiro tries to avoid being noticed studying each of you. After examining Payata's shield for a bit he blurts out. "Ah... is this a raccoon yokai? Tanuki?" In short order you're able to find the Emperor's personal cook, Nervous Ken. Tall, skinny and anxious he works himself into perpetual stress worrying over whether or not his cuisine is good enough! Luckily he doesn't put too much thought to what he provides to your group and sees you all off with a few platters of meat, fish, veggies and rice. --- Within the hour dark clouds have enveloped the sun and lanterns are taken up by all staff and sailors and lit below decks. The ship rocks back and forth steadily and the motions begin to slowly rise in intensity. The report of a storm must be true and a bitter chill begins to replace the day's warmth. A loud low horn echoes from the top deck! Lord Shoko would be there and you recognize this as his call.
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Nov 24, 2014 14:11
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 Tsukiko Tsukiko could see that Masaka was obviously trying to stay as far from the rest of them as possible - and for one split-second it seemed from her especially. A momentary shiver ran along her spine as she looked directly at Masaka, and her eyes narrowed as an unwanted memory of her past played through her mind. She shoved it down mentally, looking away from the Shinto priestess. *She always thinks that she is better than the rest of us. Just so typical of those type of people.* She turns her attention back to the others just as Akihiro gestures for the doors and announces that, like Payata, he too is hungry. After making their way through the halls of the ship to a cramped eating area, she barely suppresses a sigh at the smells of the food that wafts up from the platters laid in front of the group. The plain offerings almost taunt her, compared to the lavish feasts and banquets she had sometimes attended while serving the Emperor's court. Still, she had learned from her bitter past to be grateful for anything that was offered, and so murmured a polite thanks to Nervous Ken for feeding them all. Contenting herself with taking just a little rice, some fish, and a few vegetables Tsukiko watched as the other members of the group filled their plates and eventually, as was usual when they shared a meal as a group, the talking grew more and more boisterous. Tsukiko watched the young Akihiro from the corner of her eye as he ate with them. The young lord seemed both overwhelmed by their presence and natures, yet also relaxed and outgoing enough to join in the laughter as Payata tried to fit most of her meal in her mouth in one bite. After the meal, while they remained sitting around the table still talking as Suzuri was again enjoying one of his strange burning-leaf tubes, several sailors began to hang lanterns in the eating room and halls outside. Tsukiko could feel her stomach beginning to lurch uncomfortably as the ship's rocking increased. It seemed to her that no-one else was affected by the increasingly wild movements, and she pressed one hand to her stomach below the table. As she did so she heard the long low horn blast sounding from above - Lord Shoko's call! She rose quickly to her feet at the same time as the others, almost staggering as a particualrly intense movement rocked the ship, then hurried out to find her way up on deck. ((OOC: Taking a few small liberties with a couple of people for the story, hope I wasn't too out of line.))
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Nov 25, 2014 01:14
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 ZaruZaru receives Honest Ken's offering with a polite bow, but when he lays it out on the table before him he doesn't touch most of it. Couldn't eat hamachi in the fourth month, of course. Eating boiled chestnuts with brown rice? Only if you wanted to throw your jing out of balance for months. He carefully arranges the food before him. Rejected ingredients - yellowtail, red snapper, three small rice balls, a small quantity of hakusai - sit in a neat pile to the left of the platter. Re food in the top right, Liang food in the bottom right, each of the five flavours arrayed in order across the plate. Experimentally, he dips his tail into his nearby pack and finds that he can easily lift out his package of food from home. Hmm. Maybe this tail thing wasn't so bad, after all. Unwrapping the red cloth, he plucks out a couple of 棒棒鸡 and drops them on his plate. A little extra spice, and a dash of sauce, and... There. Perfect. He bares his teeth in satisfaction. With a little extra Szechuan cuisine, and the right curation, and a few corrections... this was quite a balanced meal, for a Japanese cook. Finally happy with the food in front of him, he's just about to take a bite from a chunk of meat when Shoko's horn blast echoes through the cabin. drat it all! He drops it back onto the plate with an unamused grunt and is heading up to the top deck in moments.
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Nov 26, 2014 00:29
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 PayataWalking alongside her companions with her hands behind her head, Payata seems to freeze up momentarily at Akihiro's sudden question. She lags behind the group for a second as they continue walking, before her face screws up with anger. "What!? A raccoon!? A TANUKI!? Don't you know ANYTHING about fauna!? This is very CLEARLY a RED PANDA! I see that they don't teach you anything in... uh... you know, wherever you got your education!" She bangs on the top part of her shield angrily as she rushes to catch up with the group. "I'll have you know that I drew this face on here personally in order to ward off attackers! You see, they wouldn't want to attach such a cute face, and therefore they won't hit... the shield..." She seems to trail off as she has a sudden realization about the flaw in her plan, and remains silent up until they reach the kitchen. Her face instantly lights back up as they approach Nervous Ken, and she lets out a loud, excited gasp as she clasps both hands together. "I-Is this all for me..!?" She asks, immediately rushing to her seat and trying to snatch up the food from everybody else's plate before they can arrive. She lifts her own plate to her mouth, tilting it so that all the food slides right into her gullet, and she barely chews it before swallowing the rest. "Wow, this is great, but I'm not really sure you made enough, you know!" She said excitedly as she casually reached over to snatch some more food from Tsukiko's plate. However, her meddling was interrupted by Lord Shoko's horn, and her whole body froze up like she had been caught in the act. As the others filed out, she quickly scooped up the leftovers into a single mass and deposited them in a specially designated sack, before scurrying to join the others up on top.
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Nov 26, 2014 00:50
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 SusumuSusumu takes to his food like a starving man, grunting a wordless thank you to the chef before digging in. Within minutes, he's devoured most of his meal, save for the veggies he's shunted off to the side like the plate of a spoilt child. So naturally, as Zaru rejects food, Susumu sneakily accepts it, leaning over his companion's shoulder and snatching pieces of fish and rice up with his fingers. Especially the yellowtail. He doesn't know what blows to the head the monkey man's taken to reject the greatest gift the oceans could ever give, but hey, his loss. He's about to toss a particularly juicy piece of fish into his mouth when the horn startles him, body jerking forward in surprise. He probably elbows Zaru, but more important, he drops his fish onto the floor. "Dammit," he swears under his breath, watching the fish bounce along the undoubtedly dirty floor before glancing up at the top floor. He honestly hasn't noticed the storm - both the cold and the rocking of the ship are something he's had to learn to tune out - so the horn is his first sign that something is going wrong. Grumbling he sits up, scratching the back of his head with one hand and his stomach with the other. When he figures no one's looking, he snatches the piece of fish off the floor and pops it into his mouth. "Think we should go see what the old man wants?" He knows the answer will be yes before the words even leave his mouth, especially with half of them already hurrying up to the top deck. Sighing, Susumu cracks his neck and strolls lazily after everyone, grabbing a few more pieces of fish off of Zaru's plate as he passes it. Endorph fucked around with this message at 10:37 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 10:28
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Akihiro holds his hands up in a feigned defense against Payata's outburst. "Ah, woah, woah, my apologies. I was taught by the wilds recently and I guess there weren't any tanu... er, red pandas on Hokkaido." He offers her some of his food to surely seal the deal on this peace offering. He eats comfortably with the rest of you but turns a bit red again when he notices Tsukiko studying him. When Shoko summons you he follows your group up, sticking to the rear and hanging back at the doorway below. Heading for the deck you soon see that the warning of a storm was a bit soft-spoken. Dark swirling clouds overhead have completely covered the sky and darkness is all around you, sheets of rain beating down upon the ship. Waves rise and fall, slowly building in intensity and rocking the boat. Shoko stands at the center of the deck and is presumably watching the sailors work swiftly to batten things down and to keep the ship steady and on course. He is as usual engaged in a quick training exercise, practicing the swing of his blade in perfect repetition. The core of Shoko's training seems to be discipline and the will to swing a blade a hundred thousand times in practice so that it will be swung true the one time in battle. This has led to more drills on form than you can count and many sore muscles. Shoko looks over his shoulder and nods at your group's approach. "This rain is unusual. Keep an eye open." He squints and studies you all in a quick glance before going back to his watch and his swings. Aside from being a little miserable up here there isn't any immediate danger. The sailors move with urgency as a call of "rocks off the port bow!" prompts a response to turn. The grand galleon barely skirts by the sudden pillar of stones! It is unusual... you shouldn't be anywhere near shore yet! Skill Challenge Use Skills, Rituals, Equipment or Other Bright Ideas to assist in weathering the storm! Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 14:43
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Tsukiko Reaching the doorway leading out on deck, Tsukiko shudders when she sees the heavy sheeting rain of the storm. *Ugh. Really. I'm not going out in THAT.* The rest of the group pushes past her as she huddles just inside the doorway. It is only Shoko's glare that finally drags her, unwillingly, out on deck. Within seconds she is thoroughly drenched; hair plastered to her skin, clothes weighing heavy on her.. she can even feel her make-up streaking and running under the constant barrage of rain. She spares a moment to glare at Shoko's back then, making completely sure his back is to her and that he won't notice, pokes her tongue out at him. Feeling somewhat mollified by her little act of rebellion, she looks around. *Clearly the sailors have everything in hand. We don't need to be up here.* Glancing at Shoko again, she edges back closer to the doorway seeking at least some respite from the weather.
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Nov 28, 2014 02:09
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Payata Payata holds her massive shield just above her head to protect herself from the rain, using both hands to manage the feat. "Hoo boy, some storm! How exactly am I supposed to eat like this, all my food is gonna get soggy!" She lowers her shield, deciding to just shove as much of the food in her mouth at once before setting the rest of it down beside her. "Wuh oh! Fhat's a fig un!" She cries out, food flying from between her lips. She gestures wildly to a particularly omninous rock threatening to scrape right up against the side of the boat. Swallowing the rest of the food quickly, she adds, "No way we can get out of the way in time! I got this!" She swiftly drags herself and her shield to the side of the boat, hopping onto the side. She then quickly raises her shield in front of her, holding onto it with both hands! "No, wait, this is stupid. The angle's all wrong... I'll just have to break it instead!" With a great burst of strength, Payata attempts to bash the rock's head in, or at least slam into it with enough force to knock the boat off course... which is probably even less likely to happen. Regardless of the outcome, Payata tumbles backwards off the side of the boat, rolling all the way to the back!
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Nov 28, 2014 07:47
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Zaru Zaru scratches the side of his head, gazing about the deck. Hmm. Yes, those were definitely sailors. The kind of people who were trained to handle ships. Not physicians, who are the kind of people who were trained to handle people, which were generally much smaller and not made of wood. He briefly considered letting Shoko know the difference between the two and excusing himself below deck, but it seemed they were all expected to contribute to this little scenario. Oh well. Glancing up, he notices some of the netted rope ladders - rigs? is that what they were called? - had become immensely entangled in the storm's assault. He briefly flexes his arms, feeling the way his long limbs moved, then snatched at the rigging and used it to haul himself upwards. He scrambles up the rope even as it whips about in the wind, his tail easily compensating for the movement, and begins to untangle the... ragging? Acrobatics to climb the rigging: 1d20+13 16 If I can make two checks: Thievery (sleight of hand) to untangle the ropes: 1d20+13 14 [damp farting noises intensify]
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Nov 30, 2014 03:45
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Payata: With an explosive burst of strength you actually succeed in smash off about half of the narrow rock! It's tall and a bit thin, like a pillar... this gives you a great tactical advantage in smashing! The ship takes no damage as it glances off the remains. Zara: Monkeying around you swiftly embarrass yourself. This plus Tsukino's retreat and everybody else's reluctance prompts an explosive shout from Lord Shoko! "THESE MEN KNOW THEIR DUTY, TO GUIDE THE SHIP! THUS WE KNOW OUR DUTY... TO PROTECT THEM!" He points forward with his blade as a bolt of lightning in the clouds above briefly illuminates a set of two new pillars appearing before the ship suddenly, as though from thin air! He takes up a two-handed grip and an overhead stance, focusing himself. You have mere moments before the ship bounces into either of these pillars! Even the best crew can't argue with the waves of the ocean itself! Shoko: "THEY FACE THE MUNDANE SO THAT WE MAY FACE THE UNKNOWN!" With another flash of lightning you can barely make out the dim outlines of gaunt, towering figures the same black-blue as the sea and the storm standing just barely behind the risen stone, gripping it from behind. Their features are hidden behind matted heads of thick hair and seaweed and the lightning fades. Even in a situation like this, anything might help... knowledge, illumination, bolstering the crew, maybe even guiding the ship itself(Dungeoneering)... and there's always following Payata's lead by attacking things head-on!(Athletics instead of Strength Checks.) (One Check per Player, Skill Challenge continues with One Success from Payata so far.) Doomykins fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 04:48
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Acting slowly you can only watch as the crew makes a valiant effort to avoid clashing with the rocks. At the last second... both pillars jut several feet to the side, one before the other, set along some pattern of the waves that only the supernatural could recognize. Lord Shoko lets out a ferocious roar and swings his blade! He manifests this time no mere Tiger Effigy... but a Great White Tiger Effigy, a roaring demon of fang and claw crashing into the first pillar like a fist of lightning! It explodes into a thousand pieces and is blasted down into the ocean as the figure behind it hastily backs away until it can duck beneath the waves. The waves shove the galleon to the side and you can hear the cruel splintering of wood as it scrapes along the second stone pillar. A cry of "taking on water, captain!" is heard. Things will surely get worse before they get better at this rate... especially as another pair of pillars rises out of the darkness just ahead! This time the figures holding the pillars are already moving them together, occasionally pausing to hold them steady or even slide back the way they came! One Failure
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Dec 4, 2014 02:57
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Payata Payata shakes her head rapidly from side to side, trying to free herself from her dazed state. As the boat collides with the pillar she seems to finally snap out of it, hopping to her feet. "Woah... I coulda sworn I knocked that thing out of the..." She falls silent as she notices the additional stone pillars and the figures that seem to man them approaching the ship. "Well, that's a heck of a lot cooler than the one I just bashed. Let's go for round two, then!" Payata breaks into a full sprint, scooping her shield up as she does, heading towards the front of the ship! She jumps onto the front, seemingly unswayed by the rocking movement of the ship, and holds her blade aloft. "Alright guys, now isn't the time to lose hope! I don't know what the hell these things are, but there's no chance they're getting past THIS wall of iron! I refuse to let this ship fall while it's under MY protection!" She whips her shield out in front of her, squatting down so that it covers her entire front side. One of the stone pillars seems to be approaching at just the right angle to smash head-first into the ship! With a ferocity that rivals Shoko's, she bellows out, "RED AEGIS SMASH!!!" With the speed of a hare and the strength of an ox she slams her shield against the rock pillar!
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Dec 4, 2014 04:23
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Overwhelmed by the storm and supernatural assailants the good ship Yoirakkiboto smashes into the side of the rock outcropping, the waves bouncing the massive vessel up and down, up and down, utterly insignificant against the full scale of the ocean. Within the hour the galleon has sunk and all aboard it are lost. fin
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Dec 5, 2014 15:28
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