An elegant, unmarked envelope has arrived at your door. Inside is a simple but cryptic invitation to The Sakè, a well-known sake house in the ronin village of Nanashi Mura.

There is no sender listed, but the host has made a highly specific request: guests are asked not to arrive wearing their proper Clan and Family insignia. Instead, you are instructed to dress in a manner that obscures your identity—without resorting to outright disguise, as that would be a problematic breach of Bushido. The letter boldly claims that the establishment has been bought out for the evening and its doors will be barred to all but those holding this very invitation.

Greetings, Samurai! Prepare yourselves for a night of drinking, carousing, and unraveling the mysteries of an anonymous host. And maybe, just maybe, a few surprises.

Attendance Priority & Sign-Ups

Unlike previous investigations, this is an open social gathering. There are no special priority rules for signing up! However, as this is a lively and continuous event, please only partake if you are able to post actively during the timeframe, or gracefully drop out if your schedule changes.

The Code of Conduct: Preparation

A Samurai is always prepared, and the golden rule remains: know your capabilities before the first die is cast.

• Up-to-Date Sheets: Please ensure that your character sheet is completely up to date in Foundry before the session begins.
• Master Your Techniques: Read up on your advantages (especially Passion: Sake!), abilities, and skill ranks in advance. We want to spend our time carousing and roleplaying, not flipping through rulebooks!

Helpful Skills

To navigate this evening of obscured identities and flowing liquor, you will need to rely on a versatile set of skills. Depending on your approach, you may need to call upon:

• Fitness: To hold your liquor, pace yourself, and stave off the inevitable physical toll of a long night of drinking.
• Games: To match rhythm and dexterity with your fellow patrons in traditional tavern games.
• Skulduggery & Performance: To discreetly dispose of your drinks or feign consumption if you wish to remain entirely sharp.
• Sentiment: To read the subtle tells, slips of the tongue, and hidden mannerisms of your fellow "anonymous" guests.
• Culture: For the curios soul who wishes to identify their fellow guests anyway.
• Courtesy: To maintain decorum and flawlessly navigate the delicate social dance of samurai attempting to socialize without their usual titles.

The Elements & Their Approaches

As a quick reminder, consider how the Five Rings dictate your character's approach to the challenges ahead. Keep these aspects in mind when deciding how to tackle an obstacle:

• Earth: Restore, Withstand, Recall, Reason, Produce.
• Water: Adapt, Shift, Survey, Charm, Exchange.
• Fire: Invent, Overwhelm, Theorize, Incite, Innovate.
• Air: Refine, Feint, Analyze, Trick, Con.
• Void: Attune, Sacrifice, Sense, Enlighten, Subsist.

House Rules: The Art of (not) Getting Drunk

This is a night of celebration, and we will be using specialized rules to track your character's sobriety.

1. The Basics

• Free Drinks: Your first cup is on the house! No dice roll is needed, and your character remains completely sober. (Note: If you possess the Passion: Sake advantage, your first two cups are free!)
• Following Drinks: You must roll dice to maintain your composure as the night goes on.
• Failed Rolls: You do not pass out right away. You simply start talking a little funny or slurring your speech. There is no mechanical game penalty for this, but please roleplay being tipsy!
• Becoming Intoxicated: If you fail too many rolls, your character gains the Intoxicated condition. Because public drunkenness is considered a trifling breach of Courtesy, you will immediately lose 1 Honor and 1 Glory.

2. Staying Sober (The Rolls)

The number of cups you can safely consume at each difficulty threshold depends on your Earth ring. If your PC has the Passion: Sake advantage, your cup limits are doubled (except for Phase 4). Always round up.

What happens when you fail?

Please keep a personal tally of every Fitness roll you fail.

• Intoxicated: When your total failed rolls equal half of your Endurance, you gain the Intoxicated condition (Core Rulebook p. 273).
• Unconscious: If you continue drinking and your failed rolls equal your full Endurance, you pass out and become Unconscious (Core Rulebook p. 273).

3. Faking It (Cheating)

If you wish to maintain your wits by drinking slowly or secretly disposing of your beverage, you may attempt to cheat the cup. Choose one of the following:

• Pour the drink away secretly: Roll Skulduggery (Air) TN 2.
• Pretend to drink it: Roll Performance (Air) TN 2.

GM Note: Be warned! Engaging in this deceptive behavior is a trifling breach of Sincerity and will cost you -1 Honor.

Drinking Games: Konpira Fune Fune

Throughout the establishment, you will find tables set up for Konpira Fune Fune, a traditional drinking game of rhythm and dexterity.

How to Play:

A small stone or cup is placed between two players. A musician plays a steady beat that slowly increases in speed.

1. Player A declares whether they are taking the stone or tapping the stone.
2. Player B rolls Games (Element of your choosing) TN 2 to see if they react correctly. (If the stone is taken, they must place a closed fist on the table; if the stone is tapped, they must tap it with a flat hand).
3. If Player B succeeds, they then declare whether they take or tap the stone.
4. Player A now rolls Games TN 2 to react.

This rapid back-and-forth continues until one PC fails their roll. The loser must take a drink! After a loss, you can start a new round or gracefully step away to visit another table.

The Bounties of Honor (Rewards)

For your attendance and your willingness to brave the social waters of Nanashi Mura, you will be compensated with up to 2 XP:

• 1 XP for appearing at The Sakè and participating in the evening.
• 1 XP for actively joining in at least one round of the Konpira Fune Fune drinking game.