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boy_bakal
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Lord of Pwnage
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| Joined: 30 Nov 2006 |
| Posts: 1920 |
| Location: Zero |
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject: Legend of the Five Rings Story Thread |
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Rokugan in the spring is a beautiful sight. The snow kissed the grass softly as it fell, melting into dew in a matter of minutes.
Lady Sayurin of the Shosuro clan sat quietly in her room, brushing her hair as part of her morning rituals. A handmaiden appeared before her door then.
"Excuse me, lady," said the handmaiden, "it seems you've received a message from one Asahina Misao."
"I see," replied Sayurin. "You may enter," she told the handmaiden, all the while still brushing her hair.
The handmaiden slipped in without a sound and left the message on Lady Sayurin's desk. When she was done, she just as quietly exited the room and returned to her duties. Sayurin turned to her desk with a sigh. "Back to business, I suppose..."
Asahina Misao... the name was familiar. Sayurin didn't know much about her, but she had heard of her, at least. She was unsure whether or not to be concerned at this point... but she'd find out.
She opened the letter with graceful fingers and read its contents. It appeared to be an invitation... a wedding invitation. It would be held at Snowflake Garden, a few days' travel from her residence. "A little troublesome, perhaps, but I would not want to refuse." Setting the letter aside for now, she stood up and gathered her things.
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Just before reaching Snowflake Garden travelers would reach a scenic little town called Ukyomura. Set in the base of a snowy mountain, and under constant threat of being consumed by avalanches, Ukyomura residents knew well that they had to find contentment in silence.
Sayurin walked around town wearing her black kimono with the white cherry blossom print, carrying a red umbrella with an intricate scorpion pattern on it. She watched the snow melting around Ukyomura as she made her way through its scenic vistas. She looked for the most expensive inn they had, where she purchased a room posthaste. The inn's other residents played shogi, and were generally fairly quiet.
"This won't do," Sayurin thought to herself. "I must needs find a Go salon."
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There were others in Ukyomura at this time.
Togashi Rinnosuke, a Dragon shugenja, visits a nearby garden in an attempt to communicate with Earth kami. A Phoenix bushi acquires a room at a nearby inn, and a Dragon monk finds a place to stay in the temple of Hoshi. Everything goes well at first, until the three are suddenly struck by a particular urge.
The urge to run.
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Shosuke Sayurin is pleased. After a visit to the Go garden, she spends some time at a nearby geisha house. She quietly enjoys a cup of sake as a geisha performs for her. "Hmm... she was two seconds off on that last move. Her face is pretty--perhaps too pretty--but she could stand to lose some weight. The outfit is well designed, but the color scheme is a little off..." Her thoughts resound in her head, watching every moment carefully, all in line with her goals.
Her thoughts, however, are interrupted by screams coming from outside. Worried by the urgency of the voices, Sayurin goes out of the establishment to take a closer look. That's when she sees it: a great avalanche was making its way through Ukyomura, and strangely enough, it seemed to be coming from the direction of the sea. But this was irrelevant; Sayurin knew she had to make it to higher ground. So she ran closer to and up the mountain, along with most of the townspeople (although she ran much more gracefully than the others).
Everybody had gathered at the mountain's edge. It was theorized that the avalanche would not reach them from there, but from the way it was making its way up the mountain's slope, it certainly still seemed plausible. "Well," said one simple-looking fellow, "at least it can't get any worse."
Just then, a group of bandits appeared. They pointed their swords and shouted orders, while the townspeople were a mixed bunch. Some followed quietly, while others ran up the mountain, further away from the ensuing chaos. Ever the level-headed individual, Sayurin looked for the bandits' leader and tried to reason with him.
"Stop this foolishness! Look, an avalanche nears. Would it not be better to work together for now?" pleaded Sayurin.
"...you're right," said the bandit leader. "You're right! Damn, I guess we should have told those other guys that the way up was trapped."
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," exclaimed Sayurin under her breath. With a sigh she made her way to her would-be companions and took a good, long look at them. "Well," she thought to herself, "for better or worse, I guess this is what I have to work with..."
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And I'm still, still longing. Still cold... so cold. |
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