Shiranai Toshi - A celebration of Honor

Greetings, noble samurai, scholars, and masters of the court!

The drums of war have quieted - for now at least - , but the memory of the fallen must never fade. You have received an invitation from Akodo Yoritsugu to attend a festivity. This gathering is dedicated to honoring his ancestors and his brave cousins who fell on the bloody battlefields of Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho a celebration of the glorious, honorable deeds of his lineage.

Beneath the veneer of poetry, sport, and camaraderie, however, lies a deeper battleground. This gathering is a carefully staged courtly arena.

"To remember the fallen is the duty of those who survive. We shall honor them not with tears, but with the perfection of our minds and bodies. Bring your sharpest wits and your steadiest hands, for we shall toast to their glory in the halls of the living."

Ground Rules for the Mission

The Golden Rule: Come prepared. Make sure you know exactly what your Kata, Shuji, or other social and physical techniques do before the game begins. The court moves fast, and we won't have time to flip through scrolls mid-banquet!

1. Attendance & Sign-Ups

Priority: Characters with the school tag Courtier will have the highest priority for this adventure, Characters without at least 1 Rank in at least 2 of the listed skills won't be accepted.
The Grace Period: If you give advance warning that you're running late, you will be granted a 30-minute grace period. Failing to show up within those 30 minutes (or missing the event with no warning) means forfeiting your spot and taking a standard no-show penalty.

2. Pacing & Response Times

To maintain the thrilling momentum of a live social event, players are expected to respond reasonably quickly.

You have a 10-minute window to post your action.
Exceeding 10 minutes without communication may lead to a forfeiture of your action.
Need more time? Simply typing "I'm writing, give me a sec," asking a clarifying question, or communicating with the GM will instantly reset your timer.

The Festivity Program (5-Hour Real-Time Schedule)

This is a Momentum Challenge where every social interaction and competition carries weight. We have a strict timeline to gather our courtly intel:

Hour 1: Arrival & Gift Giving. We set the scene, offer traditional gifts to our Lion host to make a lasting first impression, and map out the social factions present at the court.
Hours 2–4: Games & Intrigue. The heart of the event. Over these three hours, we engage in the traditional games of arrows and kemari, the spear-throwing contest, the evening poetry readings, and the high-stakes Ikoma heraldry drinking game—all while hunting for secrets between rounds.
Hour 5: Departure & Planning for the Future. As the festival winds down, we exchange parting words, assess the political fallout, and use the secrets we've gathered to forge lasting alliances and plan our next move.

How We Play

To keep the courtly tension electric, we’ll be using Intrigue Initiative!

Initiative: Roll Sentiment + Focus at the start to determine the turn order.

Skills in Play

You must prove your versatility in both martial and courtly pursuits to impress the Lion host. Expect to use:

Composition: To weave elegant stanzas during the poetry contest that subtly flatter your host or probe his guests.
Courtesy: To weave your way through political schemes, manipulate conversations, subtly spread gossip, and forge calculated alliances under the guise of making friends.
Culture: To present your arrival gifts with flawless etiquette and navigate the treacherous, sake-fueled drinking game of heraldry under pressure.
Games: To outmaneuver your rivals in the traditional game of arrows (touhu) and display flawless grace in the kicking game of kemari.
Martial Arts (Ranged): To show your steady hand, focus, and martial discipline in the ceremonial spear-throwing contest.

Choosing Your Approach

While every samurai must find their own path through the court, your primary success will likely hinge on mastering the elements of Water, Air, and Fire:

Water (Adapt, Shift, Survey, Charm, Exchange): Use this approach to fluidly read the shifting moods of the room, charm a potential ally over a cup of sake, or subtly exchange vital pieces of political gossip.
Air (Refine, Feint, Analyze, Trick, Con): Perfect for the poetry contest or the courts. Use Air to refine a devastatingly beautiful stanza, analyze a rival’s true intentions, or lay a brilliant political feint that tricks others into revealing their secrets.
Fire (Invent, Overwhelm, Theorize, Incite, Innovate): Bring the heat to the physical and social games. Use Fire to overwhelm your opponents in the spear-throwing and arrow contests, theorize a brilliant strategy on the fly, or incite a passionate reaction from a targeted guest.

The total Momentum required to fully unravel the host’s hidden motives and secure the trust of his guests will be revealed when we begin. Work together, roll well, and let us honor the ancestors while mastering the courts.