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Dawn has come and gone. You step out of your quarters dressed in your typical travel clothes, though you have exchanged your winter coat for a black haori. The loose silk of the jacket feels much more comfortable in the warmth of spring, yet it still carries the crimson heraldry of the Scorpion Clan on its back. Your katana and wakizashi hang by your side, symbols of your status as a samurai, and your jitte is tucked securely into your sash, the symbol of your authority as a yoriki, an enforcer of the Emperor's laws.

By this point, the dim corridors of the magistrates' station are familiar to you. Shadows are plentiful and lamps are sparse, their dim light doing little to illuminate the stone walls and hardwood floor. Every step causes the boards beneath your feet to creak, giving away your presence as you make your way to meet with Atsushi.

Arriving at the rōnin's quarters, you knock sharply on the door's frame. There is no answer, though you can hear him stirring behind the screen of wood and paper. Your impatience grows and you are on the verge of knocking a second time when the door slides open. Atsushi is not an impressive sight, with his oily, dishevelled hair and his drab, washed-out clothes. His face is clammy, glistening with perspiration and peppered with uneven stubble. The most offensive thing about the man is his odour, the stink of sweat and liquor that lingers about the rōnin. With a grimace you step away from Atsushi, lifting a hand to shield your nose from the scent.

“What did I say yesterday, Atsushi-san? 'I want you ready for anything tomorrow.' 'You will not drink more than one or two.'” The rōnin flinches, an expression of guilt spreading over his face. This man is your dōshin, your partner, your sole subordinate. The other two men who served you thought it would be smart to extort a samurai – they paid the price, and now you are left with this lush.

“I'm ready, Bayushi-sama, or I will be in a few minutes, eh? Just give me a little time and I will be just that, ready for anything.” He does his best to sound reassuring – it's a miserable attempt.

>This is your first day serving the Chief Magistrate of Beiden. You're not going to risk being late, not even by a second. Tell the rōnin to fetch his daishō and jitte, he's coming with you immediately.
>You aren't about to waste time standing around and waiting for your assistant to get ready. Go to meet your superior, Yogo Orinosuke, and his other yokiri. Atsushi will have to catch up with you once he's ready.
>Chide him while he gets ready, warn him that his actions have consequences. You can't afford to have a partner who drinks himself into a stupor every night. If this becomes a regular occurrence, you'll have to do something about it.
>Try to have a little patience for the man. He can't help his addiction. Once he's prepared then you can make your way to meet with the Chief Magistrate.

>>4036979
>>This is your first day serving the Chief Magistrate of Beiden. You're not going to risk being late, not even by a second. Tell the rōnin to fetch his daishō and jitte, he's coming with you immediately.
good to see you back plasma, i just read all the previous threads yesterday

>>4036979
>>This is your first day serving the Chief Magistrate of Beiden. You're not going to risk being late, not even by a second. Tell the rōnin to fetch his daishō and jitte, he's coming with you immediately.

>>4036979
>>Chide him while he gets ready, warn him that his actions have consequences. You can't afford to have a partner who drinks himself into a stupor every night. If this becomes a regular occurrence, you'll have to do something about it.

>>4036979
>This is your first day serving the Chief Magistrate of Beiden. You're not going to risk being late, not even by a second. Tell the rōnin to fetch his daishō and jitte, he's coming with you immediately.

>>4036979
>You aren't about to waste time standing around and waiting for your assistant to get ready. Go to meet your superior, Yogo Orinosuke, and his other yokiri. Atsushi will have to catch up with you once he's ready.

>>4036979
>Go meet with your superior. Atshushi will have to catch up once he's ready.

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“A few minutes? I do not think that the Chief Magistrate will be pleased if we are late by a few minutes, on the first day that we are due to serve him. Get your arms, we're leaving now.”

Too hungover to protest, Atsushi shuffles into the depths of his room to fetch his daishō and his jitte, the twin swords hanging by his left while the baton is tucked into his sash. Grabbing his sandals on the way out of the door, the ragged rōnin struggles to put them on while he makes his way after you. It would be comical, if it wasn't such a pitiful sight.

“What do you know about the duty that awaits us?” You focus your attention on the path of your head, allowing your dōshin to trail after you once he's finished with his footwear.

“Not a thing, Bayushi-sama. Ever since Yogo Orinosuke first hired me, I've been looking after the route to Kagoki and the village itself. Never had the chance to spend too more than a day or two inside of this town.” So it sounds like your partner is going into this just as blind as you are. Without anyone to teach you, you will need to learn on the job.

Navigating your way through the stony corridors of the station, you eventually arrive at the small hall that serves as the meeting place for the magistrates and their yoriki. Already, a small group of samurai seem to have gathered, three of them in total. All of them wear the same attire as you, and each of them has a jitte tucked into their sash, their badge of office. There is no sign of the Chief Magistrate yet. A small breath of relief leaves your lips – it's good to know that your fears of being late didn't come to pass.

As you make your approach to the trio, one of them looks across at you. His mask covers his entire face and appears to be made of porcelain, without any features painted on its white surface. Eerily, it doesn't even seem to have a mouth. The other man in attendance wears a sheer black veil that hangs over his rather round face, while the third samurai is a woman, her mouth and nose concealed by a gleaming red menpō.

“Ah, so you must be the one that is replacing Yogo Mushanokoji.” That's the one with the porcelain mask speaking. His voice is surprisingly deep and clear, considering the mask that obscures his features. He offers a brief dip of his head, a rather informal greeting, considering that he doesn't know you.

>Show your new colleagues some proper respect. Offer them a formal bow and introduce yourself as etiquette demands. You are samurai, after all.
>You see no reason not to be as informal as he is. Just offer a nod and a brief introduction. No need for anything more than that.
>There's no need to bow or share your name. Before long, you will be a magistrate and these yoriki will be grovelling before you.

>>4037063
>>Show your new colleagues some proper respect. Offer them a formal bow and introduce yourself as etiquette demands. You are samurai, after all.

>>4037063
>Bow and introduce yourself as formal etiquette demands.

>>4037063
>Show your new colleagues some proper respect. Offer them a formal bow and introduce yourself as etiquette demands. You are samurai, after all.

>>4037063
>You see no reason not to be as informal as he is. Just offer a nod and a brief introduction. No need for anything more than that.

>>4037063
>>Show your new colleagues some proper respect. Offer them a formal bow and introduce yourself as etiquette demands. You are samurai, after all.

>>4037063
>>You see no reason not to be as informal as he is. Just offer a nod and a brief introduction. No need for anything more than that.

In response to that rather lacklustre greeting, you bend at the waist to provide a formal bow, giving this white-masked samurai the respect that he should have given you. “The Chief Magistrate personally requested my service, yes. I am Bayushi Kimiko, and it is an honour to serve beside each of you.”

The veiled samurai scoffs at your display of etiquette. “Where do you think you are, in the daimyō's estate? Save your courtesy for court, Bayushi-san, there is no need for it here.” He pays no heed to the sharp glare that he gets from the yoriki in the porcelain mask.

“Pay no heed to Tomiichi-san,” says the white-masked Scorpion. “You must know what the descendants of Yogo are like by now.” At his remark, the woman wearing the red menpō bristles and is about to say something, but the veiled Scorpion – Tomiichi – speaks first, his expression seemingly one of boredom.

“Insulting my family now, Kinnosuke-san? If I cared about honour half as much as our new colleague cares about etiquette, I would demand a duel. We aren't here to feign politeness, trade niceties or even defend the prestige of our families, we have work to do.”

“I suppose there is some truth in your words – some.” The samurai in the porcelain mask looks back to you. “Allow me to introduce my colleagues more formally, Bayushi-san. I am Shosuro Kinnosuke, the fellow with the bitter tongue is Yogo Tomiichi and as for the quiet one over there, she is Yogo Hosuzu.”

“If I have nothing kind to say, why should I speak at all?” After spitting that remark towards Kinnosuke, Hosuzu glances back towards you and offers a bow of her own. Not quite as low as yours, but a gesture of respect nonetheless.

The atmosphere is more than a little casual – these samurai make comments that would result in steel being drawn in a more formal environment. It seems as though they have the freedom to speak however they wish, at least when they are not being overseen by Orinosuke. It will take time for you to adjust to such crass behaviour, especially coming from samurai.

“So then, are we only expecting the Chief Magistrate now?”

“We are, yes.” Tomiichi gets the first word in, speaking for the rest of the trio. “There's usually a fifth yoriki, Bayushi Nariakira, but he is still recovering from a malady that he caught during the last days of winter.”

“No doubt a pox he caught from a courtesan, knowing him,” says Kinnosuke, his tone irreverent. You feel a sting of anger, hearing someone talk about a samurai of your family like that, but you keep it from bubbling to the surface. Such quips and insults seem to be the favoured method of communication amongst Orinosuke's deputies. Keeping your anger in check around them will be an uphill battle, you have no doubt.

You introduce Atsushi as well, who forces himself to remain polite and subservient in the face of their disparaging remarks. After all, he is your dōshin. If he offends another samurai, that reflects poorly on you, as his superior. Thankfully, the rōnin only suffers their scathing remarks for a few minutes before the Chief Magistrate arrives.

As always, Yogo Orinosuke is dressed in his lacquered armour, surcoat and menpō, the shining blackness of his attire disrupted only by the bright green scorpion emblazoned on his jinbaori. As soon as they see him, the banter of the deputies come to an end. As one, they face the Chief Magistrate of Beiden and bend at the waist, bowing respectfully before their superior. You mirror the gesture, as does Atsushi.

“I trust that you have met Bayushi Kimiko,” he says, gesturing towards you. “Having proven herself worthy of a more dignified role, I have given her the position once occupied by Yogo Mushanokoji. In exchange, he has been given her previous responsibility and now serves Soshi Tetsunori, as one of the yoriki of Kagoki. I pray that none of you disagree with my judgement.”

If any of them do, they don't dare show it.

“Good. Allow me to explain your new duty, Bayushi-san. The town of Beiden is divided into five regions; the Buke District, the Temple Ward, the Market District, the Craftsman's District and the Heimin Ward. Your duty is to patrol these districts and to ensure that life in this town proceeds in an orderly fashion. Each day, you will be assigned to a district and have jurisdiction over it for the duration of that day. Understand that you only possess authority over heimin, Bayushi-san. Remember that you have no right to interfere in the affairs of samurai. Should you suspect that one of the Buke is breaking Imperial law, you are to return to this station and inform me immediately.”

“Yogo Tomiichi, you are assigned the Craftsman's District. Yogo Hosuzu, you will oversee the Heimin Ward. Shosuro Kinnosuke, in the absence of Bayushi Nariakira, you must tend to both the Buke District and the Temple Ward. Bayushi Kimiko, you are assigned the Market District. Should you have any questions, Bayushi-san, you are permitted to ask them. The rest of you, you are dismissed.”

Once more, Orinosuke's yoriki offer a respectful bow and turn to make their exit, silently filing out of the hall. They know better than to trade insults when in their presence of their superior, at least.

>Is there anything that you wish to ask Yogo Orinosuke about, concerning your duty or anything else?

>>4037214
Should we bring up whether our mother pulled strings for us anons or just let things lie unless he talks about it directly?

>>4037236
we should not ask about that since that it is unlikely they know anything about that

>>4037242
On top of that it seems in bad taste to mention people pulling strings for us as if we aren't worthy of the honour that's been bestowed on us

>>4037214
Ask if there is anything in particular we should know about patrolling the city here or the market district itself. Anything we may not expect that we should be aware of etc

>>4037242
>>4037249
Pretty sure as the Chief Magistrate he's high enough to know when people at court are pulling strings but yeah personally not too keen on bringing it up either.
Anyways I'll support >>4037249

>>4037214
Only keep an eye out for trouble? So we don't check travel documents or anything anymore?

Sounds cushy

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Though the thought of your mother possibly pulling strings enters your mind, you decide that it is best not to mention it. It wouldn't wise of you to question the integrity of your superior. Instead, you focus on something more pertinent.

“This is the first time that I have had to serve within the walls of Beiden, Yogo-sama. Is there anything that I should know about the town, or the Market District? I would appreciate knowing what to expect there.”

There is a brief silence as Orinosuke considers the question. Once he has reached a decision on what to say, his focus drifts back towards you. “Allow me to briefly explain the history of this town. Like this very province, it is named after Beiden Pass. This pass is the only significant road that goes through the Seikitsu Mountains, the Spine of the World. Anyone who wishes to travel between Northern Rokugan to Southern Rokugan has three choices, Bayushi-san. They may go far to the East, to travel by boat along the coastline. They may go far to the West, to navigate around the Spine of the World. Finally, they may go through Beiden Pass.”

“For this reason, during spring and summer, the residents of this town are often outnumbered by travellers and traders that are passing through. There are those who dwell here who seek to mercilessly exploit Beiden's guests, and there are visitors who wish to take advantage of their transient stay. Above all else, you should be on the lookout for swindlers and thieves, especially in the Market District.”

“Thank you, Yogo-sama. What of travel papers? Most of my duties beneath Soshi Tetsunori involved checking whether heimin had the right to travel. Is that no longer relevant?”

“It is not,” Orinosuke replies. “Each of Beiden's gates has a magistrate stationed at it. Anyone who seeks to enter or leave this town must go through them – unless there is a route that I am unaware of, everyone who is inside of this town is either a resident or has purchased the right to travel through Beiden.” That's a relief. You will no longer have to spend your days checking stamps and dates of expiration. On the other hand, you will need to find a new use for that ledger of yours.

“Thank you again, Yogo-sama. I swear that I shall not disappoint you.” You bow as formally as the other yoriki did and turn about to depart, Atsushi trailing after you.

“Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?” The rōnin seems rather pleased as you make your way out of the station together. “Chasing thieves and catching tricksters as they try to cheat honest folk out of coin. Far as I can tell, the worst part of this duty is those other yoriki.”

“You should not speak ill of your betters,” you chide Atsushi. Still, you can't help but agree with him. Kinnosuke, Tomiichi, Hosuzu, they all seem like they will be difficult to work with, even worse than Yogo Yasotaro was.

>>4037404
Orinosuke was right about Beiden being busy during spring. The town is heaving with more people than you have ever seen, heimin of all shapes and sizes pushing their way between buildings as they seek to buy, sell and depart from the bustling settlement for their next destination. It isn't even that rare for you to see samurai of other clans, regal figures dressed in purples, golds, oranges and blues. At every opportunity, the peasants struggle to avoid these noble foreigners, squeezing into each other to clear a path for their betters. Whenever an unfortunate heimin does end up in the way of a passing samurai, it isn't uncommon for them to be struck by the back of a hand.

It's a struggle to start with but with Atsushi by your side, you begin to recognise key landmarks and devise a route through the Market District. Hours are spent patrolling past shops, lodges and sake dens, navigating your way around hastily erected stalls and wagons full of valuable goods. The chaotic atmosphere means that even talking is difficult – all too often, the words you seek to share with your dōshin are drowned out by shouting merchants, desperately trying to hawk their wares.

To your astonishment, your first day of duty in Beiden passes uneventfully. The sun rises higher until it reaches its zenith and then when it drifts below the horizon and the sky has gone dark, you make your way back to the magistrates' station. You gather with the other yoriki before the Chief Magistrate, to speak of the day's affairs. Once the debriefing is complete, you are dismissed and allowed to rest for the night. Thankfully, the unpleasant work of patrolling the town at night is left in the hands of dōshin.

The following days are spent patrolling the other regions of the town, from the serene and orderly Buke District to the cramped and destitute Heimin Ward. Routes are devised, directions are given to passing travellers and a close eye is kept on the people that draw your suspicion. The mere presence of a samurai seems to be enough to deter crime in most cases.

The first incident takes place during your second day at the Market District. You hear shouting, too loud and too aggressive to just be hawking traders. Making your way to the source of the ruckus, you are surprised to find that the source of the outcry is a pair of merchants, two red-faced men roaring at each other.

“For the last time, I will not lower my price any lower! A koku for a shô of shichimi is a sound trade! Only a fool would offer it for less, and I will not be taken for a fool!”

“This is absurd! At the City of the Rich Frog, you can purchase a shô of any spice for no more than two bu! Ah, samurai-sama, samurai-sama!” This second merchant has spotted you, and seems eager to involve you. Steeling yourself, you step close and watch as he jabs a finger towards the outraged spice seller. “This man is a cheat! He has no right to charge these prices, no right!”

>They need to both calm down and explain what the source of this disagreement is. You won't be able to mediate anything if they're going to keep shouting at each other.
>Are they really having a spat over the cost of spice, of all things? Tell the buyer that he's better off buying from a cheaper supplier. There's nothing illegal going on here.
>You won't tolerate this sort of behaviour in your town. If they can't keep their voices down, you will have flogged until their backs are as raw from lashes as their throats are from shouting.

>>4037411
>>They need to both calm down and explain what the source of this disagreement is. You won't be able to mediate anything if they're going to keep shouting at each other.

Gather intel and then make a decision. Fudo, would we have any idea about the rough cost of things like spices?

>>4037411
>Are they really having a spat over the cost of spice, of all things? Tell the buyer the supplier can charge whatever he wants for his goods. There's nothing illegal going on here.

>>4037411
>>Are they really having a spat over the cost of spice, of all things? Tell the buyer that he's better off buying from a cheaper supplier. There's nothing illegal going on here.
It's a free market after all

>>4037411
>>Are they really having a spat over the cost of spice, of all things? Tell the buyer that he's better off buying from a cheaper supplier. There's nothing illegal going on here.
Unless is there any law that regulates the cost of spices?

>>4037444
>>4037419
As a samurai, you are supposed to be above petty things such as trading. Commerce is left in the hands of peasants. However the Ritsuryō, the Rokugani book of law, contains a great deal of information regarding taxation, economics and the shifting value of the koku. You'll need to recall that knowledge however, if you wish to make use of it in this situation...

Rolling Dice

>Whenever I ask for a roll, you roll a number of dice equal to the appropriate ring for the roll – Earth, Fire, Air, Water or Void – and you roll twice the number of dice equal to the appropriate skill.
>However, only a number of these dice equal to the ring you're using can be kept, and contribute to whether you succeed or not. The rest must be discarded.
>Every 4, 5 or 6 that you keep counts as a “success,” and contributes to your roll succeeding. For every 6 that you keep, you may keep an additional die that you rolled.
>I will always announce what ring and skill a roll will use, and the number of successes that you will need to succeed, so that you will know how difficult the roll will be.
>If enough successes are kept, the roll is successful. And if you keep more successes than you need in order to succeed, these bonus successes will grant you additional benefits.

>In this instance, I require a roll of 4d6 using your Earth ring of 2 and your Government skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes (4s, 5s or 6s) to succeed at this roll.

>I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 3, 4, 5, 2 = 14 (4d6)

>>4037455

>>4037455
Yeah I figured it would be something that would be beneath us. Lucky we've studied up on our law

Rolled 5, 1, 4, 6 = 16 (4d6)

>>4037455

Rolled 4, 3, 2, 1 = 10 (4d6)

>>4037455
We passed but we could always pass better

>>4037455
Nice all those new points we invested in coming in handy form the start

>Going with >>4037467, three successes.

The koku is an enigma. At the same time, its value is fluid and static. Ideally, the coin is meant to represent five bushels of rice – the amount of rice required to feed a single peasant for a single year. However, each clan mints its own coins, whose value is dependent on the harvest that year. As a result, there is not only regional variance in prices, but annual variance in prices. The only price that remains stable is the value of rice – no matter the region, no matter the year, the value of five bushels of rice will always be one koku. So while the price of rice has been fixed since the dawn of Rokugan, the value of everything else is fluid.

“I do not believe the City of the Rich Frog is in Scorpion territory,” you explain to the irate buyer. “The Scorpion Clan is not known for producing a great deal of rice, so the value of koku in our land is lower than it would be in the territory of the Crane, or perhaps the Lion. That might be why you consider the price to be so high.” You share a glance with your dōshin. “Atsushi-san, do you know much about the cost of spice?”

“Can't say I am an expert about such matters, Bayushi-sama. All I know is that it's a pricey thing and that there's been plenty of blood shed over it.” The rōnin folds his arms, watching the exasperated buyer. Sure enough, he isn't pleased by the explanation.

“Well then, I have some bu minted by the Lion Clan! Surely that is of greater value than the worthless coins of this land.” At those words, you find your hand drifting down to the handle of your jitte. The buyer cringes, realising what he just said and in the meantime, the merchant selling the spices simply snorts in derision.

“What use would I have for Lion-minted coins in Scorpion land? Almost every merchant here trades according to local prices. If you want to do business in Beiden, then you're going to have to accept that it's a koku for my shichimi.”

“This is an outrage!” The buyer is bellowing once more, his eyes bulging as he makes his displeasure known. You're going to need to do something about this.

>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.
>The seller is in the wrong. Perhaps he can take coins minted by the Lion Clan, and find someone who is willing to exchange them for Scorpion coinage. That way, he'll be able to get the full value of the spice that he's selling, even if it's a little more busywork.
>You couldn't care who is right or who is wrong. You promise that if they don't calm down, you're going to have them both lashed. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4037531
>>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.

>>4037531
>>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.

>>4037531
>>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.

>>4037531
>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.

>>4037531
>>The buyer is in the wrong. If he wants to buy spices with such urgency, then he either needs to pay the costs or he needs to find someone who is selling for less. If he doesn't like it, then he can scurry back to the Lion lands that he loves so much.

“Either pay the koku that he is asking for, or find another merchant who is willing to trade according to the prices of the Lion Clan,” you say. “If you continue to pester this trader about the prices he has set, I will have to consider a suitable punishment for wasting a samurai's time and for harassing a loyal servant of the Scorpion Clan.”

At your suggestion, the buyer balks. He's red-faced, his eyes bulging to the point where they look like they might fall out of his skull. The man practically looks bestial, ready to lash out at either of you or the other merchant – who looks rather pleased with himself. His fingers ball up into fists and he looks like he is about to take a swing when he notices your fingers tighten around your jitte. With a strangled sound of frustrated, the heimin turns about on the spot and marches off, shoving his way through the crowded streets of Beiden.

“Thank you for your support, samurai-sama.” The remaining merchant lowers himself in a gracious bow. His anger has evaporated, replaced with a smug sense of satisfaction. “I don't know how I would have gotten rid of the fool without your help. I'm telling you, samurai-sama, there's something wrong with the Lion Clan's heimin. They're like caged animals, they're vicious.”

“Such a description certainly befits that fellow,” you remark, glancing over your shoulder. By now, the brutish trader is long gone. “Do you have a name, merchant?”

“Norishige, at your service.” For a second time, he lowers himself in a thankful and reverential bow. He's not an impressive man to look at, with his middling height and stocky stature. Old age is getting to him, as wrinkles are starting to appear on his face and a great deal of his hair has been shed, leaving him close to bald. You believe that he might seek to compensate for this with the garish blue kimono that he wears, embroidered with evil-eyed brown owls in the midst of flight. He's a peculiar man, but there's a chance that an indebted merchant might be of use to you.

>No, there's nothing that you want from Norishige. Make your farewells, it's time for you to depart and return to your duty.
>If you're going to be stuck as a yoriki, the least you can do is try to make your own success. Perhaps you could try your hand at being a merchant's patron. Maybe Norishige could do with a little investment in his business?
>Leverage this debt immediately. If you – or a servant of yours – ever come to him in need of spices or whatever else he sells, he should offer you a significant discount. It's the least that he can do for you, after you took his side in that argument.
>You get the feeling that he might have provoked that argument. Chastise the trader and make it clear to him that if you ever catch him causing trouble again, he will suffer for it.

>>4037614
>>No, there's nothing that you want from Norishige. Make your farewells, it's time for you to depart and return to your duty.

Lets feel things out here first. I don't want to dive headfirst into the first seemingly good opportunity we see. After all, we do have enemies here and our own clan is famed for deceptions and ploys.

>>4037614
>>No, there's nothing that you want from Norishige. Make your farewells, it's time for you to depart and return to your duty.

Best to really settle into our new environment before we start considering activities on the side.

>>4037614
>>No, there's nothing that you want from Norishige. Make your farewells, it's time for you to depart and return to your duty.

Feel things out first, just in case. This might be our new boss's plot to see how we do things.

>>4037616
Just to add, if we start arranging business deals immediately after siding with this guy in an argument, it may seem like we're taking a bribe

“Norishige. That is a name that I will remember.” Perhaps. You aren't sure whether the merchant is truly of any use to you, or if this encounter was just a part of a test. “You may remember me as Bayushi Kimiko. I will leave you to peddle your wares, and I would appreciate it if you could avoid attracting that sort of custom again.”

A wry chuckle comes from the trader. “Bayushi-sama, if I could avoid drawing the attention of fools, that bug-eyed idiot would have never approached me in the first place. Nonetheless, I will do what I can to fulfil your wishes. May the Fortunes favour you, Bayushi-sama!” After one last humble bow, the merchant turns away to return to his work. Likewise, you turn away to return to your duties, to spend the rest of the day patrolling the Market District.

Days continue to flow by. Most of your time patrolling the streets of Beiden is spent mediating petty disputes like that, or pointing travellers in the right direction. It's a rather monotonous experience, made even less appealing by how cramped and crowded the streets are. Even though the heimin go out of their way to avoid you, for the first time in your life you understand what claustrophobia feels like. Slowly, patrolling the town's roads becomes a familiar experience and the novelty starts to wear off. The inane squabbling of the other yoriki every morning doesn't help either. Something that was completely new to you a little over a week ago has become dull and rote.

This time, you have been assigned the Heimin Ward, the most impoverished district of the town. Ramshackle hovels line the roads, leaning crazily against each other and threatening to topple over at the slightest nudge. This labyrinth of crude shacks is where all of Beiden's serfs dwell whenever they aren't busy serving samurai. The wares peddled here are pitiful, limited to useless baubles sold by children too young to work.

That's why it's so surprising when an urchin suddenly races past you, a boy who can't be any older than thirteen or fourteen. The rags hang off of his skinny body yet somehow, he manages to move with alarming speed, shoving and squeezing his way through the throngs of people that fill the streets of the Heimin Ward. Your shock turns into concern when you see a peasant woman scrambling after him, far less graceful as she struggles and stumbles through the crowd.

“Stop! Thief, thief!” Her cries are shrill and indignant. “Get back here!”

>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.
>You'll chase after the boy yourself. Your dōshin can take care of the questioning and you'll reunite with him once you've got the brat.
>If you both pursue to boy, you have a better chance of catching him. As for his accuser, she will probably catch up after you've got him.

>>4037748
>>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

I don't want us both going after him because it might be a trick. Send a runner to attract attention and the real thief, or at least the one carrying the goods, quietly moves off elsewhere

>>4037748
>>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

>>4037748
>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

>>4037748
>>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

>>4037748
>>You'll chase after the boy yourself. Your dōshin can take care of the questioning and you'll reunite with him once you've got the brat.

we have a higher air ring than Atsushi

>>4037748
>>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

>>4037748
>>Command Atsushi to chase after the boy. You'll stop the pursuing woman and question her about the incident.

“Atsushi!” No time for honorifics during a time of urgency. “Get after the boy, now! I will meet you back here.” You don't need to repeat yourself. With little more than a nod, the rōnin takes off, rushing through the bustling street after the lad. He moves with surprising ease, flowing between the bodies of heimin rather than shoving his way through them. For someone who has little experience in Beiden, he has a talent for navigating his way through a crowd.

With Atsushi on the trail of the thief, it's up to you to intercept the wailing woman. Her cries of indignation make her position in the mass of bodies obvious, and her feeble attempts to squeeze her way through the street are fruitless. Meanwhile, you do not need to shove your way through the crowd at all; the peasantry quail at the sight of you, pressing against each other in an effort to get out of your way and make a path for you. None of them wish to risk angering a samurai, after all. In a matter of moments, you come to a stop beside the exhausted, almost tearful victim.

“Samurai-sama!” As soon she notices you, she swivels to face you, whimpering and pleading. “That boy, that boy stole my coin! I need to get it back, samurai-sama! How is anyone supposed to survive in this day and age without coin?!” She seems on the verge of hysterical. Perhaps once this woman was pretty, but life has not been kind to her. Her eyes are dark and sunken and her skin hangs off of her bones, making it seem as though her face is sagging.

“Calm yourself,” you insist, in an effort to soothe the heimin. “My dōshin is already on the trail of the boy, but there are a few things that I need to ask you.”

Your efforts do little to dampen her mania. She wrings her hands, her knuckles going white while she babbles, words flowing out of her mouth in an almost incoherent stream. “These thieves are ruining this town, samurai-sama! They are little horrors, all of them! No respect for their elders, no respect for the coin of others! Please, samurai-sama, I need it back and that boy, that brat, he needs to be punished! He has to be!”

>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
>You don't have time for this. Threaten her with punishment if she doesn't cooperate. You won't tolerate her wasting your time with her rambling. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)
>You have learned enough from her already. From the sound of it, there was only a single thief. See if you can catch up with Atsushi, rather than waste your effort of this haggard creature. Until then, she should stay by the side of the road.

>>4038273
>>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4038273
>>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4038273
>You don't have time for this. Threaten her with punishment if she doesn't cooperate. You won't tolerate her wasting your time with her rambling. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)

>>4038273
>You don't have time for this. Threaten her with punishment if she doesn't cooperate. You won't tolerate her wasting your time with her rambling. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)

>>4038273
>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4038273
>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

Going with:
>Try to calm her down, to reason with her. She isn't doing anyone any good in this frenzied state. The sooner that she gets a hold of herself, the sooner that she will be reunited with her coin. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
I require a roll of 6d6 using your Earth ring of 2 and your Courtesy skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed at this roll.

I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 4, 6, 3, 1, 6, 1 = 21 (6d6)

>>4038332

Rolled 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 3 = 21 (6d6)

>>4038332

Rolled 1, 3, 3, 4, 1, 2 = 14 (6d6)

>>4038332

>Going with >>4038335, three successes.

“I understand that someone has stolen from you,” you say, keeping a level tone. “For that, I am sorry. However, allowing panic to consume you will only make this worse. If you want the thief to be brought to justice, you will need to tell me everything that happened. Let us start with your name. Can you tell me that?” The woman seems to search for a reason to remain indignant, stumbling over her words. It's clear that she is a sensitive creature, easily agitated. The years have been as unkind to her mind as they have been to her body.

“It's... It's Cho, samurai-sama. But you don't understand, I need--”

“Then help me understand, Cho-san.” You interrupt her as carefully as you can, before she has the chance to launch into another hysterical tirade. “Where were you when the boy stole from you?”

“I was on my way back from... from visiting a friend, samurai-sama. It was so sudden, the brat suddenly bumped into me and the... the coin pouch I was carrying, it was gone! As soon as I was done stumbling, he shot off like an arrow! There's no doubt, samurai-sama, he stole from me, he--”

“Please, Cho-san. You cannot undo what has been done. Focusing on the past helps no one. Instead, tell me if you recognise the boy. Was he familiar to you at all, do you know who he might be?”

“By the Fortunes, no, samurai-sama. No one with any sense wastes their time on the horrid little vagabonds that roam the streets. They are little more than vermin! What hope do we have for the future, if the next generation will be nothing but thieves?” By this point, you have retrieved your ledger. Everything that she says – well, everything of value, at least – is being noted down in the book for future reference, etched onto the paper with a charcoal stylus.

>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.
>To be quite honest, you don't trust this wretched woman. Put her under pressure and try to determine whether she is lying about anything. However, this might undo all of your efforts to reason with her. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Sentiment skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)
>It is the duty of samurai to care for those who serve them. You promise that if Atsushi is unable to catch the boy, you will personally compensate her for the coin that she has lost. Let it never be said that samurai do not support those that are in need. (You will gain honour if you choose this option.)
>If there are any other questions that you have in mind for the woman, now is a good time for you to ask them.

>>4038405
>>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>>4038405
>>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>>4038405
>>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>>4038405
>>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>>4038405
>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

>>4038405
>>To be quite honest, you don't trust this wretched woman. Put her under pressure and try to determine whether she is lying about anything. However, this might undo all of your efforts to reason with her. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Sentiment skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)

>>4038405
>That's all that you needed to know. Try to keep her calm and console her while you wait for Atsushi to either return with the boy in tow, or to tell you that he lost track of the urchin. There's nothing else for you to do in the meantime.

File: Opium.png (799 KB, 800x593)

799 KB PNG

The next several minutes are spent waiting by the side of the road for Atsushi to return, trying to console the woman and keep her calm. Your efforts are successful and she becomes docile, doing little more than fidget as she waits for your dōshin to return.

You're almost surprised when he returns having accomplished what you asked of him, tugging along the sullen-looking teenager by the arm. It took him longer than expected but here he is, holding a pouch in his hand. The look on his face isn't one of victory however. Instead, Atsushi's expression is a frown of concern.

“Had a chat with the boy on our way back, Bayushi-sama. What was it that the woman said he stole from her?”

“Give it back, it's mine!” Cho suddenly lurches forward in an effort to snatch the small pouch from the rōnin's grasp, babbling a few incoherent syllables at him. Thankfully, Atsushi is able to move the bag out of her reach before she is able to grab it. The wretched woman looks like she is about to make another attempt, only to spot that your hand has dropped to your jitte. All of her anxiety has come rushing back and she topples to the floor, gnashing her teeth and clawing at the sagging skin of her face, a pitiful whine of despair rising from the back of her throat.

“She mentioned something about coin, though now I left wondering whether she was telling the truth.”

“Have a look for yourself then,” The pouch is thrust into your hands and tugging the drawstrings, you open it up. You smell what's inside before you see it; it's a pungent, heavy stench that assaults your nostrils and makes your eyes water. It appears to be some sort of sticky, dark brown gum. To the uninitiated it might look like dense soil or faecal matter, but though you have never seen it before, you immediately know what it is. Every samurai of the Scorpion Clan is taught about the importance of this substance.

Opium.

“Tell the samurai what you told me, brat.” Atsushi cuffs the side of the urchin's head, causing the boy to flinch. Reluctantly, he begins to explain.

“I uh, I saw her leaving one of the dens with the stuff. I knew what it was in a heartbeat.” More than anything else, the boy seems anxious, terrified of the punishment that might await him. “Me and some of the others, we like to nick it off of the addicts and sell it back to the dealers. It's... It's just business, samurai-sama. It ain't anything personal.”

Meanwhile Cho has her head buried in her hands, covering her eyes and digging her thumbs into her ears, as though she is trying to block the world and everything unfolding around her. Her wretched state suddenly makes a lot more sense to you.

According to Imperial law, opium is forbidden outside of medicinal use. The reality is that every major town and city – especially in Scorpion territory – is home to illicit opium dens and cartels that sell the substance for 'recreational use.' Cho's opium habit makes her just as much of a criminal as the boy who stole from her, and the fact that she deceived a samurai in order to hide her addiction makes her crime even more severe.

It's up to you to decide how you want to handle this situation.

>Cho is a victim in all of this, a woman whose life has been ruined by opium. The right thing to do is to take pity on her, even if she tried to hide the nature of her addiction from you. She's suffering enough already.
>The wretched woman tried to deceive you and take advantage of a samurai's trust. Not only that, but she is guilty of illegal usage of opium. It is only just for you to punish Cho for her crimes.

>The urchin is guilty of theft and of trafficking opium. He's admitted to such. He needs to be punished, to set an example for others and to discourage him from continuing with this life of crime.
>He's a victim as well. He's being exploited by the dealers, who use him to steal their own product back from the people who buy it, so they can sell it on again. It's the cartel behind this that is at fault, not this boy. He shouldn't suffer just because others exploited him.

>>4038582
>>The wretched woman tried to deceive you and take advantage of a samurai's trust. Not only that, but she is guilty of illegal usage of opium. It is only just for you to punish Cho for her crimes.
>>The urchin is guilty of theft and of trafficking opium. He's admitted to such. He needs to be punished, to set an example for others and to discourage him from continuing with this life of crime.
Not that I don't sympathise with the both of them but considering how lots of people behind the scenes are going to be scrutinizing our actions best to follow the law for now

>>4038582
>>The wretched woman tried to deceive you and take advantage of a samurai's trust. Not only that, but she is guilty of illegal usage of opium. It is only just for you to punish Cho for her crimes.
>The urchin is guilty of theft and of trafficking opium. He's admitted to such. He needs to be punished, to set an example for others and to discourage him from continuing with this life of crime.

>>4038582
>>Cho is a victim in all of this, a woman whose life has been ruined by opium. The right thing to do is to take pity on her, even if she tried to hide the nature of her addiction from you. She's suffering enough already.
>>He's a victim as well. He's being exploited by the dealers, who use him to steal their own product back from the people who buy it, so they can sell it on again. It's the cartel behind this that is at fault, not this boy. He shouldn't suffer just because others exploited him.

>>4038582
>>The wretched woman tried to deceive you and take advantage of a samurai's trust. Not only that, but she is guilty of illegal usage of opium. It is only just for you to punish Cho for her crimes.
>>The urchin is guilty of theft and of trafficking opium. He's admitted to such. He needs to be punished, to set an example for others and to discourage him from continuing with this life of crime.

While I do agree with >>4038615 the law is the law and while we might be lenient with punishments from time to time it's our job to uphold it

“We are taking both of them back to the station, Atsushi-san. Bring the boy along, I will take care of Cho.” The addict doesn't put up much of a struggle at all. She remained stooped even as you tug her along by the arm, trying to cover her face with a hand as though that might hide her shame. You can't help but wonder what sort of woman she must have been, before she fell victim to Dragon's Breath. In the end, it doesn't really matter – she's just one of many tragic casualties of opium addiction.

Whatever the case may be, your many days spent reading the Ritsuryō in Kagoki have benefited you. As you make your way back towards the magistrates' station, you're able to recall the punishments that were written in that ancient book of law.
Heimin that are guilty of illegal possession of prohibited substances are to be punished with confiscation of the substance and forty lashes.
Heimin that are guilty of attempting to deceive samurai are to be punished with eighty lashes – you recall this from when you had to pass Mabumasa's sentence, all those months ago.
Heimin that are guilty of trafficking prohibited substances are to be punished with confiscation of the substance, sixty lashes and the amputation of a finger.
Heimin that are guilty of petty theft from other heimin are to be punished with the amputation of a finger.

The law of Rokugan can be harsh. A hundred and twenty lashes in total for the addict, while the boy will have to endure sixty and a future with two missing fingers. You suspect that the boy will be able to endure his punishment, though his reputation will forever be tarnished by the mutilation – it will inform whoever he meets that he was once a thief. As for Cho, there is no way that she will survive the sentence. The woman is a wreck, she'll be dead before the torturer reaches a hundred. Once more, you must decide whether you will be lenient or whether you will follow the letter of the law.

>Cho will suffer the full sentence. It doesn't matter whether she survives it or not, it's what the Ritsuryō demands.
>Reduce the number of lashes to eighty. It's still a harsh reminder but hopefully, there's a chance that she will be able to endure the penalty.
>Have her flogged forty times. It's a relatively light sentence. You're willing to forgive her attempted deception, and will only punish her for possessing opium.
>She's so pitiful that you'll only sentence her to twenty lashes. Her life is punishing enough without you making it worse than it already is.

>The brat will suffer the full sentence. He needs to understand that those who break the laws of Rokugan will be punished, sooner or later. There is no room for lenience.
>The amputation is a step too far, there's no need for you to ruin the boy's future. The flogging will be more than enough to deter him from stealing or dealing in opium again.
>Removing his fingers is necessary, he needs to suffer the stigma that comes with a history of thievery. There's no need for you to flog him on top of that though – just the amputation will suffice.
>Take it easy on him. Have him flogged thirty times as a warning, hopefully that will be enough to convince him to abandon his life of crime.

>>4038737
>>Have her flogged forty times. It's a relatively light sentence. You're willing to forgive her attempted deception, and will only punish her for possessing opium.
>The amputation is a step too far, there's no need for you to ruin the boy's future. The flogging will be more than enough to deter him from stealing or dealing in opium again.

>>4038737
>>She's so pitiful that you'll only sentence her to twenty lashes. Her life is punishing enough without you making it worse than it already is.

>>Take it easy on him. Have him flogged thirty times as a warning, hopefully that will be enough to convince him to abandon his life of crime.

Maybe we can use them to catch the bigger fish, the owners of the opium house and it's suppliers as well as anyone they might have bribed in order to not get caught

>>4038737
>>She's so pitiful that you'll only sentence her to twenty lashes. Her life is punishing enough without you making it worse than it already is.
>Take it easy on him. Have him flogged thirty times as a warning, hopefully that will be enough to convince him to abandon his life of crime.
Let's be real even 20 lashes is already excruciatingly painful. Also IIRC we gave Rinji and Sosa 40 and I don't think both of them deserve that amount

>>4038737
>Cho will suffer 40 flogs

>30 flogs for the boy

>>4038737
>She's so pitiful that you'll only sentence her to twenty lashes. Her life is punishing enough without you making it worse than it already is.

>The amputation is a step too far, there's no need for you to ruin the boy's future. The flogging will be more than enough to deter him from stealing or dealing in opium again.

>>4038737
>>4038774
>>4038822

Also: Yeah snitch bonus for all and any takers.

At times, the Ritsuryō comes across as barbaric. It was written in an earlier, less sophisticated age – back then, the only way to keep the half-people in line was through violence. Samurai seem to be more fortunate – rather than suffer beatings or amputation, most of their crimes are punishable by fines or house arrest. Even as the deputy of a magistrate, the life that you lead comes with luxuries that these heimin must scarcely be able to imagine.

Once you arrive at the station, you register the thief and the addict with the jailer. When asked for his name, the boy calls himself Kazu. He is to be sentenced to thirty lashes, while Cho will suffer twenty. It's the lightest sentence that you could think of, and hopefully it will be enough to keep them in line. The sullen urchin and the wretched woman are led off to their cells to await their punishment, leaving in the company of Atsushi. You look towards the rōnin and you find your mind wandering, as you consider the possibilities.

“Both of them are victims in this, Atsushi-san. The true culprit are the dealers, the criminals responsible for selling opium to the common people. If we are able to track down the den that Cho went to, we might be able to stop the flow of... this.” You gesture towards the pouch. The dank smell of its contents has started to ooze through the fabric, filling the air with its heavy stench.

“Maybe so. First step towards that would be talking to Cho and Kazu before they get the switch, maybe learn where the den is from them. It's a big business though, Bayushi-sama. There's a chance that some samurai might be involved in this and if that's the case... Well, we can't really do much about it.”

Your partner has a point. Your authority only extends over the heimin and the hinin, the half-people and the non-people. You pause for a moment, weighing the risks and flicking through the notes that you have taken. It would only be right to put a stop to this foul business, to end the peddling of this life-ruining substance. Yet there is a chance that you are out of your depth, stumbling blindly into the schemes of cartels and corrupt samurai.

>It's best if you just let this lie. As far as you are concerned, this case is closed. The thief and the addict are both going to be punished and you don't need to do anything else about the matter.
>The least that you can do is investigate this yourself. You don't necessarily have to take action, but this is a chance to acquaint yourself with the seedier side of Beiden and learn about its criminal elements.
>You're out of your depth. This is something that you should speak to Yogo Orinosuke about, if he has the time to spare.
>You are the deputy of this town's Chief Magistrate. As an enforcer of the Emperor's laws, it's your duty to put a stop to criminal activity no matter where you find it or what form it takes. You're going to find this den and you are going to shut it down.

>>4038911
>>The least that you can do is investigate this yourself. You don't necessarily have to take action, but this is a chance to acquaint yourself with the seedier side of Beiden and learn about its criminal elements.
Do a bit of digging first before going to Orinosuke

>>4038911
>>The least that you can do is investigate this yourself. You don't necessarily have to take action, but this is a chance to acquaint yourself with the seedier side of Beiden and learn about its criminal elements.

>>4038911
>The least that you can do is investigate this yourself. You don't necessarily have to take action, but this is a chance to acquaint yourself with the seedier side of Beiden and learn about its criminal elements.

>>4038911
>>The least that you can do is investigate this yourself. You don't necessarily have to take action, but this is a chance to acquaint yourself with the seedier side of Beiden and learn about its criminal elements.

>>4038911
>Investigate at the very least before making a decision.

“It would be wrong if we did not at least look into this, Atsushi-san. How are we meant to keep the peace in this town if we are not familiar with the criminal elements?”

With that decided, you take the opportunity to find the cells that Kazu and Cho have been assigned to. One at a time, you question them. You are ready to barter with them if necessary, to offer reduced sentences or perhaps lift them altogether. Instead, you are pleasantly surprised when the addict cooperates without any need for negotiation. In her sorry, broken state, ashamed off the woman that she has become, Cho offers no resistance and tells you everything that you need to know about the opium den – it's a re-purposed storage house in the Heimin Ward and the dealer that she meets is a woman called Warai. Kazu is slightly more reluctant and only offers the location of the den. Fortunately, it matches the one that Cho gave you.

“So, how are we going to do this?”

“Hm?” You look towards Atsushi when he asks that question, once the questioning has come to an end. It isn't something that you thought about, at least not yet.

“Well, they're going to be on edge if we come marching in with our jittes on display. They won't be able to refuse access to a samurai but you can be sure that they will clean up their act before they let us in. On the other hand... Well, it's not a good look if you go in there looking like you're going to spend the rest of the day chasing the dragon, eh? Your reputation will be in tatters if you're caught.”

“What do you suggest then, Atsushi-san?”

“I suggest you leave it to me. I'm just a filthy wave man, what reputation do I have to worry about?” A care-free grin spreads across the rōnin's face. “Let me go in there without my jitte and see what I can find out. This is business that a samurai like you shouldn't have to dirty her hands with.”

>Atsushi has a point. He should be able to investigate the opium den without arousing any suspicion.
>For once, you think you will do your best work on your own. Atsushi can wait back here, or outside of the den. You'll go in there alone.
>You should go in there together. It's too risky for either of you to be alone in that den.

If you choose to go inside either with Atsushi or on your own, choose one of the following:

>You're going to do this in an official capacity. No clever schemes, no elaborate deceptions. You are going to go in there and question this 'Warai' about her business.
>It might be smart to take off your jitte and any other items that give away your station. As far as anyone will know, you're just a Scorpion slumming it in the Heimin Ward.
>Take off your mask, change your clothes and put away your daishō and jitte. As far anyone will know, you're not a samurai, just a particularly wealthy commoner. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Performance skill of 0. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4039013
>Atsushi has a point. He should be able to investigate the opium den without arousing any suspicion.
>It might be smart to take off your jitte and any other items that give away your station. As far as anyone will know, you're just a Scorpion slumming it in the Heimin Ward.

>>4039013
>>Atsushi has a point. He should be able to investigate the opium den without arousing any suspicion.

>>4039013
I gotta warn you guys, there's almost a 200% chance that any opium den in Scorpion turf is controlled by someone higher up the ranks as a Scorpion. Big business creates coin for big infiltration schemes abroad.
>>Atsushi has a point. He should be able to investigate the opium den without arousing any suspicion.
Investigate, be careful. Don't get a new addiction, neh?

>>4039036
True if there's any clan that's most involved in the drug trade it's Scorpion by a mile. Still worth checking out though even if we get ordered to ignore it eventually.

>>4039046
yeah, totally agreed, just warning against rash action. It never hurts to get more information as a Scorpion. We might even make a new ally.

>>4039013
>Atsushi has a point. He should be able to investigate the opium den without arousing any suspicion.

“I suppose that a rōnin shouldn't draw any suspicion. Very well, Atsushi-san, I will put my trust in you. Just remember that you are already addicted to one substance; I would prefer it if you avoided getting hooked on a second.”

“Bayushi-sama, you offend me!” The rōnin's grin broadens and he even lets out a laugh. “I'm married to the bottle and you know me, I'm a loyal man. I swear, I won't even lay a finger on an opium pipe.” Tugging his jitte from his sash, he reaches across to hand it towards you. You accept the baton and tuck it into your sash, beside your own.

“Good. Remember that you are simply going in there to find out more. Try to learn if their operation is owned by a samurai – if it is not, then there is a chance that we might be able to do something about it. If it is...” You pause to consider the possibilities. Your mind travels back in time to your encounter with the merchant Shungyosai, and you recall what you read in the Ritsuryō on that day. “... If it is, we will need to decide if it is best to just ignore the den, or if we should risk drawing the ire of its owner instead.”

“Try to avoid thinking too far ahead, Bayushi-sama. Live in the present instead, eh? It's what matters the most.” It's his turn to stop and consider something. “Just one question though, where do I meet with you when I'm done in there? Oh and uh, give me an hour or two before you start worrying and think about kicking the door down.” That cheerful grin refuses to leave his face. He's confident, or at least he's pretending to be.

>You will wait here, in the station. It will give you a chance to stay away from the unwashed masses of the Heimin Ward and that way, Atsushi will know exactly where to find you once he's done.
>Well, you still have your duty to take of. You will patrol the Heimin Ward on your own while he's inside of the opium den. At a certain hour, you will meet up with him at a particular spot and if he isn't there... Well, you will have to investigate the den yourself.
>You want to keep a close eye on what's going on. You will find a spot near the re-purposed storage house and watch it from afar. You will need to avoid being too conspicuous though – your presence might be noticed. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4039090
>>You want to keep a close eye on what's going on. You will find a spot near the re-purposed storage house and watch it from afar. You will need to avoid being too conspicuous though – your presence might be noticed. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4039090
>>Well, you still have your duty to take of. You will patrol the Heimin Ward on your own while he's inside of the opium den. At a certain hour, you will meet up with him at a particular spot and if he isn't there... Well, you will have to investigate the den yourself.

>>4039090
>>Well, you still have your duty to take of. You will patrol the Heimin Ward on your own while he's inside of the opium den. At a certain hour, you will meet up with him at a particular spot and if he isn't there... Well, you will have to investigate the den yourself.

>>4039090
>You want to keep a close eye on what's going on. You will find a spot near the re-purposed storage house and watch it from afar. You will need to avoid being too conspicuous though – your presence might be noticed. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4039090
i looked at the character sheet and i think you made a mistake since you put jurojin in past relationships even though he is still giving us his blessing

>>4039090
>You'll keep a close eye in case he needs anything

>>4039110
>I'm using the past relationships section for relationships which aren't relevant to the character at this particular moment.

Going with:
>You want to keep a close eye on what's going on. You will find a spot near the re-purposed storage house and watch it from afar. You will need to avoid being too conspicuous though – your presence might be noticed. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
I require a roll of 7d6 using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.

I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 2, 6, 6, 2, 2, 2, 5 = 25 (7d6)

>>4039133

Rolled 1, 6, 2, 3, 3, 1, 5 = 21 (7d6)

>>4039133

Rolled 6, 3, 2, 6, 2, 5, 6 = 30 (7d6)

>>4039133

>Going with >>4039150, four successes.

“I will find you outside of the den once you are done.”

“Eh? Isn't that going to be a bit obvious, Bayushi-sama?” You afford yourself a rare smile, a brief glimpse of humanity. Samurai are supposed to maintain decorum at all times, they are meant to be above revealing their emotions. Yet if there is anyone in this town who you should be able to express yourself around, it is your dōshin.

“Atsushi-san, you have been by side for almost six months. You should have learned by now – a Scorpion is only seen when she chooses to reveal herself.”

Despite your coy remark, blending into the crowd as a samurai is quite difficult. As soon as you are back on the streets, the commoners press against each other to avoid you like the flow of a river parting around a rock. You split up with Atsushi before you arrive at the Heimin Ward, taking care to avoid being seen together in that district. The next hour is spent performing a circuit of the nearby streets, within sight of the depot-turned-den. Once or twice you stop a passing heimin to question them, using the interrogation as an excuse to stand at an angle where you can keep an eye on the opium den's door.

Thankfully, you aren't noticed. There only seems to be one man standing guard outside of the den, but he's quite the specimen. The brute towers a head taller than every guest who walks in or out of the depot and his burly figure is covered with distinctive tattoos. Rarely, he disappears inside to drag out rather dazed customers and shove them into the street – presumably addicts who had lingered too long for the dealer's liking. As far as you are able to tell, he hasn't noticed you. His attention is focused on what's in front of him and you're smart enough to avoid walking right past the den. Minute by minute, time crawls by as you wait for the rōnin to return from his foray into Warai's lair.

At long last, Atsushi emerges. He lingers in the doorway, to try and chat with the inked bruiser at the doorway, but the brute is having of it. The rōnin is shoved into the street like so many other customers and you almost lose sight of him. Carefully, you maneuver your way through the streets to try and reunite with your dōshin. Once he has meandered a safe distance away from the den, you reunite with him.

“So, what did you find?” The wave man seems a little startled, only noticing you at his side once you have spoken.

“Ah, there you are. Spoke with Warai for as long as I was able, though I needed to weave a bit of a tale. I came up with the story of a sister who was horribly ill and needed something to ease her pain. Don't think she believed me though, I'm quite sure she thought I was using it as an excuse to buy some for myself. She got sick of me after I kept trying to haggle the price down, told me that I'd be dragged out if I didn't leave of my own free will.”

“Atsushi-san, what you did matters little to me. I am more interested in what you found out.” It's difficult for you to hide your exasperation but you try your best. “Let me start with the simplest question. Is it an illegal establishment?”

“Without a doubt,” the rōnin replies. “To begin with, she tried to use a bit of wordplay. Kept talking about providing aid to those in need and tending to the ailments of the suffering. Didn't take long for her to give up on that and start talking about chasing the dragon, and other such things. There's nothing noble about her business, Bayushi-sama, I can say that much.”

“That is a start. Do you know if the den is under the protection of a samurai, or is it an independent venture?”

“It's not easy to get a woman like Warai to talk about that sort of thing, Bayushi-sama. No one sells out their employer that easily. The closest I got was when I asked if what they did was official Scorpion Clan business. She laughed and said 'it might as well be.' It was a bit coy, but I think it was her way of saying that she's working on a Scorpion's behalf. I did try to get more out of her, but she threatened to have Kanabō throw me out. Uh, Kanabō's the giant that was standing guard at the front.”

“This is all a bit vague, Atsushi-san.”

“Can't help it, Bayushi-sama. I'm no shinobi, I know, but I don't think there was much more than I could have learned without giving away why I was there.”

>That's it. You have done all that you can. If a samurai owns the den, there is nothing that can be done with it. It's time for you to return to your duty and put this unfortunate affair behind you.
>There's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back to the station to speak with Yogo Orinosuke. Since it's likely that a samurai is involved, it's best that you do not interfere. All you can do is report it to the Chief Magistrate.
>It's time for a different approach. You need to go in and have a word with this Warai yourself. See if there is anything more that you can learn that Atsushi wasn't able to find out for him.
>You have learned all that you need to know – they're illegal opium traffickers. You can't do anything about the samurai that's in charge of the operation, but you can at least bring the dealer to justice and shut this den down.

>>4039256
>>There's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back to the station to speak with Yogo Orinosuke. Since it's likely that a samurai is involved, it's best that you do not interfere. All you can do is report it to the Chief Magistrate.

>>4039256
>>There's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back to the station to speak with Yogo Orinosuke. Since it's likely that a samurai is involved, it's best that you do not interfere. All you can do is report it to the Chief Magistrate.

>>4039256
>>There's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back to the station to speak with Yogo Orinosuke. Since it's likely that a samurai is involved, it's best that you do not interfere. All you can do is report it to the Chief Magistrate.

>>4039256
>There's nothing more for you to do here. You should go back to the station to speak with Yogo Orinosuke. Since it's likely that a samurai is involved, it's best that you do not interfere. All you can do is report it to the Chief Magistrate.

With nothing left to do in the Heimin Ward, you leave that squalid district of Beiden behind and make your way back to the magistrates' station. It's good to get away from the heaving streets and into the cool, quiet solitude, but you can't take your mind off of the drug den. Samurai of the Scorpion Clan are supposed to sacrifice honour for the sake of duty, that much is true, but what duty is there to be found in the peddling of opium to the weak and vulnerable? It's despicable.

A quick word to one of the dōshin and you are escorted to the Chief Magistrate's personal quarters. Atsushi doesn't follow – you will have to do the talk on you own. You patiently wait while the heimin slides open the door. “Please forgive me for bothering you,” he says, walking through the threshold and closing the door behind him. You hear hushed words on the other side of that wood and paper frame and only a moment later, you are ushered inside. The dōshin steps back out and closes the door after you.

The decoration in Yogo Orinosuke's quarters is more lavish than that of any other room in the station. It is almost as though you are back in Seven Stings Keep. Dim orange lamps provide the only source of light in the room, casting long shadows and obscuring many details. All of the wood is coated with dark lacquer, giving it an almost organic sheen and no wall of the spacious chamber is left bare, as eclectic paintings are scattered across every surface. One corner of the room is even occupied by a lovingly cultivated bonsai – you certainly did not expect the Chief Magistrate to have such a pastime.

“Bayushi Kimiko,” Orinosuke says, his tone level. His hair is tied in an immaculate chonmage and for once, he doesn't seem to wearing that shining armour of his, though his menpō still obscures the bottom half of his face. Instead, a clean and patternless black kimono is wrapped around his figure. He rests on a cushion in front of a desk at the heart of the chamber, brushes and ink for calligraphy laid across its surface. “Please, take a seat. I trust that this matter must be important.” The Chief Magistrate raises a hand to gesture towards the unoccupied cushion of the other side of the desk. After offering a respectful bow to the man, you obedient take your place before him and start to explain the day's events.

You mention everything, from how you first encountered Cho and Kazu, to how the discovery of opium trafficking in the Heimin Ward, to the investigation of Warai's drug den. “I bring this matter to your attention because it lies outside of my jurisdiction, Yogo-sama,” you say as your tale comes to its end. “I have no right to pass judgement on a samurai or to interfere in their affairs.”

“That is quite true,” Orinosuke replies. “Forgive me, but I am curious. If you possessed the authority of a magistrate, how would you continue this investigation?” Is this a test of your judgement, or is your superior toying with you? It is difficult to tell.


>Whoever the master of Warai is, they are breaking the Emperor's law. Opium is a prohibited substance that is only meant to be used for medicinal purposes. This sort of drug trafficking should be punished and there is no excuse that can be used to defend it.
>In the end, the trafficker shouldn't be punished. The opium den is based in the Heimin Ward and according to what Atsushi said, none of the patrons were samurai. The only people that are being exploited are heimin, and isn't that what they exist for? There is nothing wrong with samurai profiting off of the common people.
>You have no doubt that the opium is being sold for the purpose of accumulating wealth. However, if the Scorpion Clan benefits from the illegal sale of opium, then it should be over-looked. If the samurai in question is only trafficking it for personal gain, then that is another matter entirely.
>Your uncertainty is the reason why you came to the Chief Magistrate in the first place. You not only lack the authority to choose how the matter should be resolved, you also lack the experience and the knowledge required to make a sound decision. For this reason, you defer to Orinosuke.
>There is a reason behind every law. You do not believe that the samurai should be punished simply because they are breaking the law by trafficking opium. Instead, they should be punished because their actions are responsible for ruining the lives and hindering the productivity of the Scorpion Clan's peasantry.

>>4039592
>I would first discern what if any patron this seller had, who it was benefiting how it was affecting our heimen.
>Once I knew all such things I could make a decision with such facts in account.
>While it would most certainly be lawful for you to shut it down, it might harm a larger goal of the Scorpion clan's plan, or anger someone would then use their clout to make your job harder, if not worse.
>Still if the negative effects are too great you may be forced to do so anyways just to maintain the city itself.
>Until we have more information we cannot even begin to formulate a well reasoned answer, and thus we turned this over to him in order to seek his.

>>4039592
>You have no doubt that the opium is being sold for the purpose of accumulating wealth. However, if the Scorpion Clan benefits from the illegal sale of opium, then it should be over-looked. If the samurai in question is only trafficking it for personal gain, then that is another matter entirely.

>>4039592
>You have no doubt that the opium is being sold for the purpose of accumulating wealth. However, if the Scorpion Clan benefits from the illegal sale of opium, then it should be over-looked. If the samurai in question is only trafficking it for personal gain, then that is another matter entirely.
On the other hand, it's hard to imagine any samurai being stupid enough to resort to Opium trade just for the sake of their own fortune. Especially if they're mostly exploiting Heimin, who're hardly founts of wealth. They're basically no better than common merchants at that point, representative or no.

>>4039592
>There is a reason behind every law. You do not believe that the samurai should be punished simply because they are breaking the law by trafficking opium. Instead, they should be punished because their actions are responsible for ruining the lives and hindering the productivity of the Scorpion Clan's peasantry.

>Reason behind every law
>If the den was being used BY other samurai, then it would be wise to keep it open so as to potentially farm blackmail material, but as it is it's just reducing the effectiveness of our peons

>>4039592
>>You have no doubt that the opium is being sold for the purpose of accumulating wealth. However, if the Scorpion Clan benefits from the illegal sale of opium, then it should be over-looked. If the samurai in question is only trafficking it for personal gain, then that is another matter entirely.
>In that case they should be punished because their actions are responsible for ruining the lives and hindering the productivity of the Scorpion Clan's peasantry.

>>4040046
+1 Honestly when it comes to this kind of stuff the Scorpion aren't really ones to talk about following the law

“It is complicated,” you admit after taking a second to think. “I would need to gather more knowledge before I could take action. If the samurai responsible for this den is contributing the profits to the Scorpion Clan, then I believe that the trafficking of opium is justified, as our clan benefits from it. If the samurai is keeping the wealth gained from this enterprise, then I see no reason not to put a stop to it. Avarice has no place in our clan.”

You continue. “I have also seen the impact of this trade for myself. While this business might benefit from getting the common people addicted to opium, this addiction is responsible for ruining lives. Where there were once useful servants who might have been of use to our clan, all that is left are broken, empty shells. This trafficking is exploiting our heimin and damaging the peasantry that our clan relies upon. Even if all of the wealth gained from this is given the clan, I cannot help but wonder if it is worth it.”

“So if the suffering caused by this samurai's enterprise is too great, I would have to put a stop to it, no matter where the coin flows to.” You take a breath, before you conclude your answer to Orinosuke's question. “There are too many elements involved for this to have a simple answer, Yogo-sama. That is the reason why I have come to you.”

“Very thorough, Bayushi-san, and very pragmatic. Truly you are a samurai of the Scorpion Clan, putting the good of the clan before the laws of Rokugan.” His words seem almost as insulting as they are congratulatory. “Yet according to what you have said, you make it sound as though you would have difficulty reaching a decision. All too often, you will not have the time required to deliberate. You will need to think fast, and be decisive. As for how opium harms the half-people, that is a valuable point to make. It is all too common for a Scorpion to become absorbed in their own schemes. They are so fixated on the intricacies of their plans, that they are blind to the harm they are causing in the process. It is the duty of a magistrate to drag these wayward samurai back to reality, and remind them of their station.”

“So what course of action are you going to take, Yogo-sama?” After hearing everything that you had to say, you feel that you came to the right conclusion.

“In this case, decisive action is not necessary. This opium den is but one of several in Beiden that I know of. It was wise of you to restrain yourself and not take action, for I have established a deal with its owner. His enterprise is not be interfered with, for so long as he contributes a significant portion of his wealth to the treasury of Yogo Kanzaburo, the governor of this town and the daimyō of this province. Should he fail to make these payments, then we shall put a stop to his business. It is quite simple.”

This revelation stuns you into a brief period of silence. This sounds less like law enforcement and more like an extortion racket. “What is the reason behind this deal, Yogo-sama?”

“If the coin produced by these ventures remains in the possession of their owners, it is difficult to judge how it is being spent. Are they funnelling their wealth back into the clan, or are they keeping it for themselves? It is difficult to say. On the other hand, I know exactly where the coin goes if it lands in the daimyō's treasury. It ensures the prosperity of this town, it funds the daimyō's endeavours and it pays for the maintenance of this very station. Consider it a tax, if you will. To avoid this sort of misunderstanding in the future, I will see to it that you know which opium dens are under my protection.”

>There is a good chance that the coin you receive in your stipend comes from drug trafficking, if Orinosuke is telling the truth. It's sickening, and you are going to say as much. This station shouldn't benefit from the exploitation of the very people that it is meant to protect. It's only right for you to voice your protest, no matter the punishment you might face for speaking out against your superior. (You will gain honour if you choose this option.)
>It's distasteful, and you cannot bring yourself to agree with Orinosuke's justification for these deals. Nonetheless, you are bound to serve him and it isn't your place to disagree with him. You won't let this interfere with your duty. From now on, you will avoid the dens that are under the Chief Magistrate's protection and you will focus on other instances of Imperial law being broken.
>It's devious and immoral, but it's good for the Scorpion Clan, it's good for Beiden and it's even good for you. Not only is this an opportunity for you to praise Orinosuke for his ingenuity, but this serves as an important lesson for you. Some laws are not meant to be enforced, especially if the Scorpion Clan benefits from their lack of enforcement.

>>4040192
>>It's distasteful, and you cannot bring yourself to agree with Orinosuke's justification for these deals. Nonetheless, you are bound to serve him and it isn't your place to disagree with him. You won't let this interfere with your duty. From now on, you will avoid the dens that are under the Chief Magistrate's protection and you will focus on other instances of Imperial law being broken.
At the end of it we are still Scorpion.

>>4040192
>It's distasteful, and you cannot bring yourself to agree with Orinosuke's justification for these deals. Nonetheless, you are bound to serve him and it isn't your place to disagree with him. You won't let this interfere with your duty. From now on, you will avoid the dens that are under the Chief Magistrate's protection and you will focus on other instances of Imperial law being broken.

Mostly because it’s self defeating in the long run, not because of the lives it ruins.

>>4040192
>It's devious and immoral, but it's good for the Scorpion Clan, it's good for Beiden and it's even good for you. Not only is this an opportunity for you to praise Orinosuke for his ingenuity, but this serves as an important lesson for you. Some laws are not meant to be enforced, especially if the Scorpion Clan benefits from their lack of enforcement.

>>4040192
>There is a good chance that the coin you receive in your stipend comes from drug trafficking, if Orinosuke is telling the truth. It's sickening, and you are going to say as much. This station shouldn't benefit from the exploitation of the very people that it is meant to protect. It's only right for you to voice your protest, no matter the punishment you might face for speaking out against your superior. (You will gain honour if you choose this option.)

>>4040192
>>It's distasteful, and you cannot bring yourself to agree with Orinosuke's justification for these deals. Nonetheless, you are bound to serve him and it isn't your place to disagree with him. You won't let this interfere with your duty. From now on, you will avoid the dens that are under the Chief Magistrate's protection and you will focus on other instances of Imperial law being broken.

>>4040192
>>It's distasteful, and you cannot bring yourself to agree with Orinosuke's justification for these deals. Nonetheless, you are bound to serve him and it isn't your place to disagree with him. You won't let this interfere with your duty. From now on, you will avoid the dens that are under the Chief Magistrate's protection and you will focus on other instances of Imperial law being broken.

>>4040192
>It's devious and immoral, but good for the Scorpion clan.

Let's be real here, anyone weak willed enough to get addicted wasn't going to amount to anything anyway. Or so Kimiko might think.

“Thank you, Yogo-sama. In the future, I will avoid disturbing the operations of the traffickers that... cooperate with us.” The only word for this is corruption. Not only is the Chief Magistrate involved, but so is the daimyō. Two of the most important samurai in the province are complicit in the trafficking of opium and the ruining of lives. They say that it is for the sake of the clan, but you aren't sure if you believe that.

“Very good. I will ask one thing of you – this knowledge is not to be shared with any dōshin, including Atsushi. You shall also avoiding informing any samurai that do not directly serve me – only the magistrates and the other deputies who serve me are aware of our station's involvement in opium trafficking. Should anyone outside of those trusted few learn the truth, I will find out.”

“Of course, Yogo-sama.” You can only imagine the punishment that you would face if you ever exposed this racket. Orinosuke wouldn't command you to commit seppuku or demand that you retire to a monastery – he's more likely to have your throat slit in your sleep, should you ever do anything that undermines his authority. For the good of the clan and for the sake of your own well-being, you'll guard this secret jealously.

After you have been sworn to secrecy, the Chief Magistrate informs you of the several opium dens scattered through town that are under his 'protection.' Warai's establishment is the only one that is found in the Heimin Ward, catering to the lowest of the low. Two more can be found in the Market District, catering to travelling merchants with more money than sense. A fourth can be found in the Temple Ward, using a shrine dedicated to the Fortune of Flowers as its front, while the last den is in the Buke District, taking advantage of any samurai that are weak-willed enough to become addicted to the substance. These businesses are not to be disturbed, but should you discover any traffickers that don't pay their dues, you are welcome to put a stop to their drug-peddling.

>If there is anything else that you wish to speak with Yogo Orinosuke about, now is the time to mention it. Otherwise, this meeting shall be concluded and time shall move on.

>>4040343
Skip forward

>>4040343
skip forward

>>4040343
Skip forward

>>4040343
>Skip forward

Yogo is too scary to talk to for long

>>4040343
Ask if there are any other enterprises that should be hands off besides the opium den.

All you have left to ask is whether there are any other illegitimate businesses that you should avoid. According to Orinosuke, most of the fences in Beiden are in the Scorpion's pocket. The clan profits off of the laundering of goods stolen from heimin, and learns of anyone that is foolish enough to try and sell property stolen from a samurai. And though it is rare for them to ever break the law, it would be wise for you to tread carefully around the monks of the Temple Ward. They exist outside of the social hierarchy of Rokugan and technically, samurai have no authority over them. More often than not, they police themselves without any need for intervention from magistrates.

With nothing else to say to the Chief Magistrate, you thank him for his time and depart to re-unite with Atsushi. When the rōnin asks about the outcome of the meeting, you are forced to omit most of the truth – all you can share is that Yogo Orinosuke has been informed of the situation and that there is nothing else you can do about the matter. He's a little disgruntled by the outcome but now that the situation has been taken out of your hands, there is nothing to do but finish your patrol for the day.

Days go by, and then weeks. The weather becomes warmer and the streets become even more crowded as the last traces of winter's chill are replaced with the heat of the coming summer. Most of your days are spent resolving disputes between merchants and chasing down petty thieves. You even start to take Haru out on your patrols, not only to give the mare a little exercise but because she's quite useful. You have a better view of the crowds on her back and the heimin grant you even more space when you're on the back of a horse. Before long, the people of Beiden begin to recognise you and respect you.

Over the course of the next two months, the most frustrating part of your job is having to deal with the Chief Magistrate's other yokiri at the start and end of every day. Tomiichi is irreverent, Hosuzu is haughty, Kinnosuke is snide and even Bayushi Nariakira, the one that was bedridden when you first started this assignment, is crude. It seems as though working as a magistrate's deputy tends to debase samurai.

>If you're going to have to work with them, you're going to have to fit in. For every barbed comment that one of them spits in your direction, you're going be twice as vicious in return. You have always had a way with words.
>You still have your dignity. Maintain decorum at all times, even if they refuse to. Show them the courtesy that they refuse to give you and maintain the high ground. The other deputies might have forgotten that they are samurai, but you have not.
>You have no patience for fools. You refuse to stoop to their level or giving them respect that they do not deserve. Ignore the other yoriki as much as you can and whenever you are forced to acknowledge that they exist, show them no kindness.

>>4041045
>>You still have your dignity. Maintain decorum at all times, even if they refuse to. Show them the courtesy that they refuse to give you and maintain the high ground. The other deputies might have forgotten that they are samurai, but you have not.

>>4041045
>You still have your dignity. Maintain decorum at all times, even if they refuse to. Show them the courtesy that they refuse to give you and maintain the high ground. The other deputies might have forgotten that they are samurai, but you have not.

>>4041045
>You still have your dignity...

>>4041045
>You still have your dignity. Maintain decorum at all times, even if they refuse to. Show them the courtesy that they refuse to give you and maintain the high ground. The other deputies might have forgotten that they are samurai, but you have not.

>>4041045
>>If you're going to have to work with them, you're going to have to fit in. For every barbed comment that one of them spits in your direction, you're going be twice as vicious in return. You have always had a way with words.

>>4041045
If you're going to have to work with them, you're going to have to fit in. For every barbed comment that one of them spits in your direction, you're going be twice as vicious in return. You have always had a way with words

>>If you're going to have to work with them, you're going to have to fit in. For every barbed comment that one of them spits in your direction, you're going be twice as vicious in return. You have always had a way with words.

Let them debase themselves and act like commoners. Whenever you meet them, you carry yourself with the dignity that they lack, you behave as a samurai truly should. At times, your adherence to etiquette makes you the target of mockery but you do not have to endure it for long. As soon as the Chief Magistrate arrives to either brief or debrief you, the rest of the yoriki suddenly start to behave themselves. You believe that they fear Orinosuke more than they respect him, though that's just a hunch.

As for your stipend, it seems though that has not changed – you are still just a deputy, even if you are a deputy of the Chief Magistrate himself. Three bu a month is all that you will get. The big difference is that you get to spend every day in town, surrounded by stalls where you can buy whatever you wish. No longer are you forced to live off of travel rations or the terribly bland cuisine of Kagoki – instead, you can spend some of that hard-earned coin on luxury, should you choose to.

>You currently have 9.76 koku.

>No. You refuse to spend more than you have to. You should be able to requisition some feed for Haru from the station and have it cover the cost of stabling her. Right now, you want to save every last coin that you earn. Unfortunately, this means living a rather ascetic life even compared to the dōshin, only allowing yourself to eat the tasteless affair prepared by the station's servants. Are you willing to subject yourself to this, after having to endure months of Kagoki's hospitality? (By choosing this option, you will gain 1.2 koku. You will increase your strife to 3 / 8 for going against your Delusions of Grandeur, but you will gain a void point.)
>You can afford some small luxuries. A pleasant meal every now and then, perhaps even a trip to Michie's tea house on a special occasion. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself – everyone does it, even the heimin. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.8 koku.)
>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)
>What better cause is there to spend coin on than philanthropy? You will contribute all of the coin that you earn to Beiden's temples and poorhouses, where the destitute and the ascetic dwell. Not only is this compassionate behaviour likely to bolster your karma, but your reputation will surely be improved by this display of charity. (You will gain honour and glory if you choose this option.)

>>4041045
>You still have your dignity

I worry if we choose to fit in with them, it will reflect in our inner thoughts and build up bad habits. We are destined for greater things, we can't afford to start acting like our uncivil peers.

>>4041527
Can we buy a proper Go set for future games with Atsushi? As a former player, the thought of playing with mildly differently colored pebbles gives me anxiety.

>>4041534
Sure, I'll check a Go set in for free if you go for this option:
>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)

>>4041554
Okay then

>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one.

>>4041527
>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)

>>4041527
>>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)
we only live once so we should enjoy our time

>>4041527
>>You can afford some small luxuries. A pleasant meal every now and then, perhaps even a trip to Michie's tea house on a special occasion. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself – everyone does it, even the heimin. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.8 koku.)

>>4041527
>>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)
with how fucking fiercely we've guarded our money, I think we can afford this lol

>>4041527
>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)

>>4041527
>You are a samurai and it is best if you treat yourself like one. Fine food every other day, sake and tea whenever you wish for it, and any other amenity that you believe that you might need. (By choosing this option, you will gain 0.4 koku.)

>You currently have 10.16 koku.

Whenever you consider living frugally, your mind goes back to the winter that you spent in Kagoki and the miserable gruel that you had to subsist off of, like the village's heimin. You didn't spend those three months living like a pauper just to do the same in Beiden. So your days are spent enjoying fine tea and expertly crafted meals, enjoying every little luxury that the town has to offer you.

You even purchase a small, portable set for Go, a foldable board with a carefully painted grid on its surface and two bowls containing the black and white stones required to play, complete with clasps to keep them from falling open once they are sealed shut. It's intended for travel but it works for the occasional game with Atsushi, a way of passing the time at night. The rōnin typically uses the game as an excuse to unwind and chatter, but when he plays seriously, he is just as good as you are. His strategies seem more defensive, as opposed to your more aggressive and direct style. In the end though, neither of you are exceptionally skilled at Go – the game serves as a pleasant distraction from the realities of Beiden.

It's only after two months of catching thieves, settling disputes and enjoying the finer things in life that you encounter anything that is out of the ordinary.

Arguments between merchants are common but it is rare for them to end in actual violence. A pleasant morning patrolling through the bustling Market District is suddenly disrupted by an outcry, the sound of shocked gasps and cries of alarm. The crowd surges away from one stall in particular, where a finely dressed trader appears to be assaulting another, a poorer man judging from the dull and practical clothes that he wears. The wealthier man appears to be enraged, furiously pummelling the other fellow with his fists, bloodying his nose and knocking him to the floor.

>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
>Atsushi is already on the ground, you can't do anything while you're riding Haru without possibly trampling someone. Order your dōshin to put a stop to the brawl while you dismount. If he can't reason with them, then he's free to use force.
>It's best if you wait for this fight to defuse itself before you get involved. Any attempt to stop the merchant from assaulting his victim will just cause him to focus his ire on you instead. You'll have the opportunity to speak with him once he's calmed down and finished beating the other heimin into a pulp.

>>4042031
>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4042031
>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4042031
>>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4042031
>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4042031
>>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

Going with:
>Establish yourself. Call out and command the trader to put a stop this violence, in the Emperor's name – if he doesn't, his punishment for refusing a samurai's demand will be severe. You hope that will be enough to snap him out of his rage. (This will require a roll using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
I require a roll of 5d6 using your Fire ring of 3 and your Command skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.

I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 3, 2, 1, 6, 3 = 15 (5d6)

>>4042061

Rolled 1, 5, 4, 3, 6 = 19 (5d6)

>>4042061

Rolled 4, 5, 2, 4, 1 = 16 (5d6)

>>4042061

Rolled 3, 6, 1, 6, 4 = 20 (5d6)

>>4042061

>Going with >>4042065, three successes.

“Stop, in the Emperor's name!” You speak with authority, with strength and zeal. It's enough to cause the assailant to look up from his victim, for his assault to come to an end. “Unless you want to spend the rest of your days rotting in a cell, unhand that man.” With great reluctance, the wealthier trader rises from the body of the fallen man, dusting off the delicate blue silk of his kimono. Manoeuvring your steed forward through the crowd, you bring Haru to a halt in front of the two men while Atsushi goes about helping the heimin with the bloodied nose back to his feet. “Now, what is the meaning of this?”

“This wretched man sells sacrilege, samurai-sama! He profits off of heresy!” There is something light and airy about the attacker's voice – he isn't from around these parts. Yet another foreign merchant causing trouble, it seems. His skin is swarthy, the dark flesh contrasting with the silk of his kimono and his hair is tied back in an almost painfully tight topknot. This is a man who has gone out of his way to appear as civilized and as close to a samurai as possible – but in the end, he is still heimin.

“I-I don't know what you're talking about! I just sell books, that's all!” The book-seller appears to be in a state of shock. Beneath the blood that flows from his bruised nose, he has quite a youthful face – he can't be much older than you are. His pock-marked skin and scrawny figure serve as evidence of a poor and malnourished upbringing. It's no wonder that he was overpowered so easily by the assailant.

“What basis do you have for this accusation?” You climb down from the back of Haru, to speak with the two men on their level. When the foreigner starts to move, you reach for your jitte, suspecting that he might try to attack the book-merchant again. Instead, he stoops to pick up one of many volumes that ended up scattered on the floor during the fight. He holds it gingerly, as though the text is coated with something vile.

“He was selling this, samurai-sama.” It's a rather simple looking book. There is no decoration or anything extravagant about it, it is only held together by thread sewn binding and it doesn't even have a cover to it to protect it from the elements. The first page has nothing written on it except for the title of the text: The Cost of Grace.

>I require a roll of 4d6 using your Earth ring of 2 and your Culture skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.

>I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 3, 3, 6, 2 = 14 (4d6)

>>4042112
Could be worse imagine if this was Crane territory

Rolled 6, 3, 3, 6 = 18 (4d6)

>>4042112

Rolled 3, 3, 1, 1 = 8 (4d6)

>>4042112

Void Points

>Void points are a resource you can spend to change fate's course.
>You have a maximum number of void points equal to your Void ring, which is currently 2.
>Every session, you start with a number of voids equal to half of your Void ring rounded up. Currently, you start each session with 1 void point.
>Right now, the only use of void points is to turn a marginal failure into a success. By spending a void point after you have failed at a roll, you may add an additional kept success to the roll.
>If you fail at a roll, I will ask whether you want to spend a void point or not. You may wish to not spend it – sometimes it's better to fail on an insignificant roll and save the void point for a more important roll.
>You gain void points when you suffer strife for going against your Delusions of Grandeur and when you fail at reasoning with your Sworn Enemy.
>You also gain void points when you choose an option where I hide the number of successes required to succeed, and during dramatic points in the story.
>I will introduce other uses of void points as the story progresses.

>Going with >>4042128, two successes.

You have failed to recall any book called 'the Cost of Grace,' nor do you understand why this merchant considers it to be sacrilegious. You will also suffer a point of strife, as a consequence of failing a roll.

However, you only failed by a narrow margin. You may spend a void point to change the course of fate and nudge this failure into being a success. If you do, you will be able to recall this book and understand why the foreign trader believes that it's heretical.

You currently have 1 void point, out of a maximum of 2. You may wish to save it for a roll you consider more important, or you may choose to spend it to alter the outcome.

>Spend the void point.
>Save the void point.

>>4042135
>>Spend the void point.

>>4042135
>>Save the void point.

>>4042135
>Big spendy

>>4042135
>>Spend the void point

>>4042135
>Save the void point
We can just grab testimony from them— no need to spend our one void point.

>You now have 0 void points.

You don't know much about the Cost of Grace – anyone who does is a criminal. It's one of many books that is banned by Imperial edict and has no right to exist. To possess or read a forbidden text is a serious offence, deserving of severe punishment. As for the book itself, all that you know is that it contains criticism of Doji, one of the eight Kami responsible for founding Rokugan and the founder of the Crane Clan. If this foreign trader is from the Crane lands, then it is no wonder that he reacted to the book with such outrage.

“Atsushi-san, take the book.” You refuse to be seen holding such profane knowledge. The rōnin, apparently unaware of the implications of the book, takes it from the merchant. The indignant trader is quick to pick up other books on the floor, pointing a quivering finger at the befuddled and bleeding book-seller.

“Nor is that the only one, samurai-sama! The Guile of Gusai, of Lies and Leadership! This is a man that peddles blasphemy and he should be put to the sword for his disrespect!” Interestingly, all of these books share the same design – they are bound and written in exactly the same fashion as the Cost of Grace.

“I didn't know!” The young man's eyes go wide with horror at the suggestion of execution and he immediately begins to plead. “Please, I just sell books! I don't read them or know anything about them, I just buy them cheaply and sell them for a profit! It is an innocent business, samurai-sama! Please, I had no idea that any of these books were forbidden, I swear!” It seems as though the incensed trader is about to take another swing at the pock-marked book-merchant, but Atsushi positions himself between the two men.

>This trader from the Crane lands was in the right to punish the book-seller for trying to profit off of forbidden knowledge. You will allow him to go free – his actions are justified and you have no good reason to punish him.
>No matter how justified it was, this outsider had no excuse to assault a local. If he suspected the book-merchant of any wrong-doing, the right course of action was to report him to a magistrate or a yoriki. You're bringing him back to the station.

>The book-seller seems to be completely unaware of the illegality of what he's selling. He's innocent in all of this, nothing more than a victim. Confiscate the books, learn who supplied them and leave the man to his business. He's not at fault.
>You're bringing the book-seller in. There's a chance that he might be lying and even if he isn't, he's still guilty of trafficking profane knowledge. He needs to answer for his actions, one way or another.

>As soon as you return to the station, you're burning these books. The only reason why you'll even touch them is to throw them into a fire. The contents of these books are to be stricken from reality, to be forgotten and condemned – this is the will of the Hantei line.
>Knowledge is power, and the Scorpion Clan does a great deal of forbidden things. You will benefit from reading these sacrilegious texts and learning the secrets hidden within them. When you have a moment alone, you'll read them and then you'll dispose of them, as the Emperor wishes. (You will lose honour if you choose this option.)

>>4042206

>>This trader from the Crane lands was in the right to punish the book-seller for trying to profit off of forbidden knowledge. You will allow him to go free – his actions are justified and you have no good reason to punish him.
>>The book-seller seems to be completely unaware of the illegality of what he's selling. He's innocent in all of this, nothing more than a victim. Confiscate the books, learn who supplied them and leave the man to his business. He's not at fault.
>>Knowledge is power, and the Scorpion Clan does a great deal of forbidden things. You will benefit from reading these sacrilegious texts and learning the secrets hidden within them. When you have a moment alone, you'll read them and then you'll dispose of them, as the Emperor wishes. (You will lose honour if you choose this option.)

>>4042206
> Fine the trader a few bu for taking justice in his own hands but no need to take him in;
>You're bringing the book-seller in. There's a chance that he might be lying and even if he isn't, he's still guilty of trafficking profane knowledge. He needs to answer for his actions, one way or another.
>As soon as you return to the station, you're burning these books. The only reason why you'll even touch them is to throw them into a fire. The contents of these books are to be stricken from reality, to be forgotten and condemned – this is the will of the Hantei line.

>>4042206
>Trader goes free
>Arrest the seller
>Read the books

>>4042206
> Let the trader go with a warning

> Bring Seller in

> Knowledge is power

>>4042300
support

>>4042206
>This trader from the Crane lands was in the right to punish the book-seller for trying to profit off of forbidden knowledge. You will allow him to go free – his actions are justified and you have no good reason to punish him.
>You're bringing the book-seller in. There's a chance that he might be lying and even if he isn't, he's still guilty of trafficking profane knowledge. He needs to answer for his actions, one way or another.
>Knowledge is power, and the Scorpion Clan does a great deal of forbidden things. You will benefit from reading these sacrilegious texts and learning the secrets hidden within them. When you have a moment alone, you'll read them and then you'll dispose of them, as the Emperor wishes. (You will lose honour if you choose this option.)

>>4042204
>>>This trader from the Crane lands was in the right to punish the book-seller for trying to profit off of forbidden knowledge. You will allow him to go free – his actions are justified and you have no good reason to punish him.
>>>The book-seller seems to be completely unaware of the illegality of what he's selling. He's innocent in all of this, nothing more than a victim. Confiscate the books, learn who supplied them and leave the man to his business. He's not at fault.
>>>Knowledge is power, and the Scorpion Clan does a great deal of forbidden things. You will benefit from reading these sacrilegious texts and learning the secrets hidden within them. When you have a moment alone, you'll read them and then you'll dispose of them, as the Emperor wishes. (You will lose honour if you choose this option.)

>You lose six points of honour for your breach of Sincerity. Your honour is now 40.

“You. What's your name?” You focus on the malnourished merchant, who quails beneath the weight of your glare. Like all good servants of the Scorpion Clan, he knows that it is healthy to fear samurai.

“Seibei, samurai-sama.” The book-seller falls to his knees to grovel before you, humbling himself. “Please, understand that I had no idea that these books were banned! If I knew that, I would have never have purchased them, let alone--”

“Enough. Atsushi-san, please collect the remainder of the forbidden texts. I will dispose of them personally once we return to the station.” That's an outright lie, but he doesn't need to know that. “As for you, Seibei-san, you will be coming with us. Should you try to run, you will only prove your guilt.” Your attention then swivels towards the outsider. “And you, I suggest that you avoid taking justice into your own hands in the future. It would be wise of you to seek out a magistrate or one of their deputies, should you ever suspect that the Emperor's law is being broken. Now go, before I reconsider punishing you for striking a servant of the Scorpion Clan.”

The merchant from the Crane land offers a hurried bow, mumbling his thanks and apologies before he turns to depart. With the sullen-looking Seibei in tow, you make your way back to the magistrates' station.

Taking the forbidden texts from Atsushi, you command your dōshin to escort Seibei to a cell and keep watch over the book-merchant until you're ready to question him. This gives you a small window in which you are able to read these books in the comfort of your quarters, without drawing suspicion. It isn't enough time for an in-depth study of the books, but it will be enough for you to get some understanding of their contents. You start with the Cost of Grace.

Before the Fall of the Kami, the land that would become Rokugan was a savage place of many disparate tribes, with countless traditions. When the Kami arrived in the Realm of Mortals, they brought about the Dawn of the Empire and set about unifying these tribes into great clans, typically through conquest. Doji, the founder of the Crane Clan, did not walk this path. Instead, she sought to create peace between the many peoples of Rokugan and to that end, she invented society. Doji was responsible for codifying the cultures of these scattered tribes, preserving beauty that would come to define the arts and designing a single language and script that would bring unity to the Emerald Empire. Almost all of Rokugan's culture and etiquette is built upon this foundation that Doji laid.

This is common knowledge. However, the Cost of Grace raises an interesting point. What about the traditions that Doji didn't consider worthy? What about the art that she did not consider beautiful? What about the numberless tongues that exist before Rokugan was united under one language? The anonymous author writes that Doji and the Crane Clan are responsible for just as much destruction as the other clans, but that it isn't lives that they destroyed. Instead, the Crane are guilty of cultural extermination. In their rigid adherence to this one vision of society created by Doji, they are responsible for the destruction of incalculable amounts of knowledge and art.

The entire treatise is a vicious chastisement of the Crane Clan and its founder, decrying them as tyrants of culture, solely responsible for the stagnation of Rokugani society. It's a very damning and persuasive collection of essays – no wonder why it was forbidden by Imperial edict. Next you move on to read the Guile of Gusai.

This book is not a treatise, but a simple history book. It describes the leader of a wealthy band of rōnin, a man known as Gusai who reigned over the Islands of Silk and Spice. This group's riches granted them so much influence that Hantei VI himself invited Gusai to attend his court. The rōnin leader refused to speak with anyone but the Emperor and when he was asked why, Gusai said that while speech and action are the basis of governing, they are not as strong as steel.

Amused by this remark, the Emperor asked Gusai to prove that steel is stronger than words. If Gusai could do this, then the Emperor would recognise that he was a daimyō, and that his band of rōnin were a clan of true samurai. In response, Gusai drew a blade that he had hidden in his robes and pressed it against the Emperor's throat. “There is nothing that can take your life as easily as steel,” he said. “If you do not know fear, then you do not respect steel.” The Emperor agreed that steel was strong enough to make Gusai a lord, and declared him the first daimyō of the Mantis Clan, a lesser clan that reigns over the Islands of Silk and Spice to this very day. After Gusai withdrew his blade, the Emperor said that even though steel was strong, words were still stronger – and he ordered Gusai's execution.

The Gusai family only existed for three generations after that. Less than a hundred years later, Gusai Rioshida, the fourth daimyō of the Mantis Clan, took the Emperor's son hostage in an attempted coup. When all of Rokugan mobilised to sail to the Islands of Silk and Spice and annihilate the Mantis Clan, they turned against their daimyō and those loyal to him, putting them to the sword. When the Emperor arrived with his legions, the remaining Mantis returned his son to him and begged for his forgiveness. The Gusai family was stricken from history and ever since, the Mantis Clan have been without a family name, just like the rōnin that they started as.

So that would be why it is forbidden – the Emperor ordered that the Gusai family was to be forgotten, written out of Imperial history. You can't help but admire the ambition and the courage that they showed, though there is an obvious lesson for you to take – you will need to be careful in your own pursuit of greatness, if you want to avoid suffering the same fate as Gusai and his descendant.

The last of the forbidden volumes, Of Lies and Leadership, is a treatise much like the first of the three texts. It is an analysis of two very different books written by two of the Kami – Bayushi's Lies and Akodo's Leadership. Lies is a series of essays about the nature of treachery, duplicity and espionage, written by the founder of the Scorpion Clan. In that book, Bayushi seeks to teach the reader how to identify subterfuge and how to best defend oneself against dishonourable deception. On the other hand, Akodo's Leadership is a treatise on the nature of honour, warfare and of course, leadership. The purpose of this text is to teach the reader how to both lead and serve in a competent and practical manner, without shaming oneself.

In this book, the author declares that there have been many editions of Akodo's Leadership throughout the years, each of which was rewritten to appease the Emperor at the time. The writer purports to have read the original, unedited version of Leadership for himself, and that not even an Emperor is allowed to read it, for he would surely have it burned.

The author also claims that Bayushi's Lies is not meant to teach the reader how to protect oneself against espionage, but that it was actually written to teach the reader how to engage in subterfuge and how to deceive their enemies. You can confirm that this is true – at the Seven Stings Dōjō, your sensei was fond of referring to the book and using it to teach you how to deceive and manipulate others.

Connecting the two books, the author claims that this first version of Akodo's Leadership contains ruthless pragmatism that is almost identical to the teachings found in Bayushi's Lies. He believes that the two Kami advocate the very same lessons, and that while they were geniuses, they were both merciless leaders who put victory before honour. The author concludes the treatise by questioning whether there is any lesson worth learning from these books, and whether the Kami are even worthy of reverence, if they were so inhuman, heartless and devoid of integrity.

All of these texts were very interesting, but you shouldn't keep Atsushi waiting any longer. You'll need to decide what to do with these books...

>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.
>They might be useful in the future. Keep them somewhere safe and secure, where no one will be able to find them. You're not done with them just yet.
>Leave it up to your superior. Have a dōshin deliver the books to Yogo Orinosuke, and that you had confiscated them from a merchant. He can decide how to dispose of the texts himself.

>>4042627
>>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.

>>4042627
>They might be useful in the future. Keep them somewhere safe and secure, where no one will be able to find them. You're not done with them just yet.

>>4042627
>>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.

>>4042627
>>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.

>>4042627
>>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.

>>4042627
yo this is some Kolat bullshit, burn it to the ground
>>>Burn them, as you originally intended. You have learned everything of value from them, there is no use in preserving them.
Well, the Gusai stuff isn't that big a deal but still.

>>4042627
>Burn them

Hate to do it but we gotta cover our ass

Without any ceremony, you take the books over to a lamp. Removing the paper cover, you hold each text over the candle flame and allow the paper to singe and curl. One by one, you place them in a bowl once they have caught fire and allow the flame to reduce them to nothing more than an illegible pile of ash and cinders. Though the books are destroyed, the knowledge remains, preserved inside of your mind. None of this knowledge is practical, at least not at the moment – but who knows what use you might find for it in the future?

Departing from your quarters, you make your way to join Atsushi, in the cell block of the station. When you finally arrive at Seibei's cell, your dōshin appears to be irate, but you haven't kept him waiting for so long that he became suspicious. “Glad you could make it, Bayushi-sama. I'm sick of having to listen to him weep in there.”

“Well, let us find out what he knows then.” You open the door and step inside of the cell, accompanied by the rōnin. The malnourished figure of Seibei can be found huddled in a corner of the bare stone-walled room, his pock-marked face stained with tears. As soon as he sees you, his immediate reaction is to get on his knees and grovel before you, whimpering and pleading.

“Please, samurai-sama, you have to understand, I had no idea--”

“That is not the first time that you have said that,” you reply, cutting him off. You have no interest in listening to the pitiful babbling of a heimin for longer than you must, especially if he is saying something that you already know. “I would like to know who you purchase your books from.”

“Many sources, samurai-sama! It doesn't matter who I get them from, only the price! But as for those ones, those... Those came from Yubi!”

“And who is Yubi, precisely?”

“I-I never trusted him, I assure you. The books he sells to me always seem so bland and boring, they don't even have covers on them! It's so difficult to keep a book from being damaged when it doesn't even have a cover, samurai-sama...” Your glare reminds him to stay on track, rather than babble. “The only reason why I buy them from him is because he says they are from Tadataka's personal collection!”

“Tadataka?” Atsushi speaks before you do. You recognise the name, and so does he. It's one that you've heard from the other yokiri, and from a handful of Beiden's local traders. Tadataka is easily one of the wealthiest merchants in town, with his own estate in the Buke District. Many of the businesses in the Market District answer to him, and some that there are even a handful of samurai who are indebted to him. “What's an upstart like him got to do with this?”

“Yubi told me that he was a representative of Tadataka, selling rare books on his master's behalf. I know I shouldn't have believed him, but I thought I was just making easy coin, samurai-sama. Please, I didn't know they were forbidden! I just buy books and sell them, I don't even read them!”

Seibei's display is rather emotional, making it difficult for you to determine whether he is telling the truth. Nonetheless, you watch his expression and listen to his tone, trying to spot any giveaway signs that the heimin might be lying to you.

>I require a roll of 5d6 using your Air ring of 3 and your Sentiment skill of 1. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.

>I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 = 22 (5d6)

>>4042814

Rolled 5, 3, 4, 6, 1 = 19 (5d6)

>>4042814

Rolled 3, 2, 1, 5, 3 = 14 (5d6)

>>4042814

>Going with >>4042817, four successes.

You're sure of it. Seibei is telling the truth – he's nothing more than an unfortunate fool. The book-seller had no idea that the knowledge that he was selling was forbidden. Though he should have been a little wiser, he was fooled into selling these profane texts by this 'Yubi' fellow, who said that he was selling them on the behalf of Tadataka. You have no idea whether this is an outright lie, or whether this merchant kingpin really keeps sacrilegious knowledge in his personal collection of books. At least you have a lead to follow.

Before you can investigate Tadataka's estate, first of all you will need to decide Seibei's fate.

>It's only fitting that you punish Seibei. It doesn't matter whether he knew or not, he was still in the possession of forbidden knowledge and he should suffer for peddling such blasphemous material. You'll need to decide an appropriate punishment though. (This will require a roll using your Earth ring of 2 and your Government skill of 1. You will need to keep two successes to succeed.)
>You have already confiscated the heretical books and burned them. If you don't suspect that Seibei is involved in this, then you have no reason to keep him here. He is free to go and return to his stall, just as long as he remembers not to deal in suspicious books in the future.
>It's unfortunate that he got scammed – it's not something that he could help. You will offer him a little charity, to make up for the coin that he lost when he unknowingly purchased those forbidden texts. Hopefully, this will make up for the damage that has been done to his business. (You will gain honour and lose 0.6 koku if you choose this option.)

>>4042914
>He is free to go

>>4042914
>>You have already confiscated the heretical books and burned them. If you don't suspect that Seibei is involved in this, then you have no reason to keep him here. He is free to go and return to his stall, just as long as he remembers not to deal in suspicious books in the future.
Hey QM just wondering how important is honour/gain loss mechanically for us since we're Scorpion?

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>>4042934
If Kimiko's honour drops below 30, she will begin to accumulate Disdain for Bushidō disadvantages. This will make rolls related to certain tenets of Bushidō more difficult but will grant her a void point if she fails them.
If Kimiko's honour rises above 65, she will begin to accumulate Paragon of Bushidō advantages. This will make rolls related to certain tenets of Bushidō easier.
As a Scorpion, Kimiko places higher value on the tenet of Duty and less value on the tenets of Honour and Righteousness. Kimiko loses less honour when she makes others suffer for her personal gain and pursues her earthly desires, but she also gains less honour when she performs self-sacrificing deeds and shuns her earthly desires. On the other hand, she loses more honour when she engages in disobedience and she gains more honour when she puts her duty before her own well-being.
There are also ways of determining how honourable a person is, which might impact how other people treat you, if you become extremely honourable or extremely dishonourable.

The most part though, it's not something you need to worry about - I'll tell you if you ever get in danger of slipping too high or too high low on the honour chart.

>>4042914
>>You have already confiscated the heretical books and burned them. If you don't suspect that Seibei is involved in this, then you have no reason to keep him here. He is free to go and return to his stall, just as long as he remembers not to deal in suspicious books in the future.

>>4042914
>You have already confiscated the heretical books and burned them. If you don't suspect that Seibei is involved in this, then you have no reason to keep him here. He is free to go and return to his stall, just as long as he remembers not to deal in suspicious books in the future.

“You are free to go, Seibei-san. Remember not to accept any strange books from suspicious men in the future, hm? Atsushi-san, please escort the merchant out of the station.”

“Oh, thank you, samurai-sama! Thank you...” Tears spring from the heimin's eyes once more as he is overcome with relief. Thankfully he is grabbed by the arm and escorted out by the rōnin, before he can babble his gratitude for too long. You are left on your own in the cell, pondering over your next move. Clearly, you need to give the famous Tadataka a visit.

>But is there anything that you want to do before you depart from the station?

>>4043051
Nothing for now but I think we should track this Yubi person first before meeting the big fish. Not like anyone's insane enough to admit owning forbidden texts.

>>4043051
Ask one of our more agreeable colleagues about Tadataka and maybe Yubi.

>>4043051
>>4043070
Yeah, let's work our way up the chain, if Tadataka's at fault, we'd ideally have a concrete testimony that the books came from him, not hearsay.
We should also ask around and make sure Tadataka's not patronized by a samurai

>>4043070
To add on at least get his appearance from Seibei or even see if he can arrange another meeting with him

Going straight to Tadataka might be an issue, you realise. The Bonge are supposed to be inferior to the Buke but in practice, this kingpin has a great deal of authority in Beiden, more than many samurai. Going straight to him, throwing around accusations of owning forbidden texts, is likely to end poorly from you. It might be best for you to find out more about the merchant in advance, and see if you can get your hands on this 'Yubi' fellow first of all.

The only issue is that you have no way to get your hands on Yubi. All that you know is that he went to Seibei to sell him those books, supposedly taken from Tadataka's collection. You suppose that you could try to arrange for Seibei to inform you when they are next meeting, if he knows such things. As for Tadataka himself, you only have two months of experience in Beiden. You have never had to deal with the man yourself, nor do you know much about him – only that he is responsible for a significant number of businesses in the Market District, and those rumours about the power he holds over some samurai. Shosuro Kinnosuke was assigned to the Buke District today, where the kingpin's estate can be found. Alternatively, it might be wise for you to learn more about the man from all of your colleagues at the end of the day – perhaps even from the Chief Magistrate himself, if you are willing to inform him about this incident.

>You're going to pay a visit to Shosuro Kinnosuke in the Buke District, to find out what he knows about the senior merchant and his home. The more you find out, the better. In addition, you'll need to ask about Yubi and see if he recalls that name at all.
>It might be wise for you to return to patrolling the Market District. At the end of the day, after the Chief Magistrate has debriefed you, you will need to try and speak to the other yoriki and see what you can learn from them.
>Actually, you're going to bring this up during the debriefing. There's no reason for you to hide this incident from your superior. You'll take whatever advice he is willing to offer when it comes to this peculiar case. If he can advise you about how to act around Tadataka, that would be a great help as well.
>Forget all of this preparation and hesitation. You need to handle this situation and you need to handle it now. You're going straight in there to see Tadataka, today, and you're going to squeeze the truth out of the upstart heimin.

>In addition to the above, you're also planning to give Seibei another visit and see if he's able to arrange a meeting with Yubi – or somehow lure him into a position where you're able to grab him and talk with him about these banned books he's been selling.

>>4043158
>Visit Shosuro

>In addition get Seibei to lead you to Yubi

>>4043158
>>You're going to pay a visit to Shosuro Kinnosuke in the Buke District, to find out what he knows about the senior merchant and his home. The more you find out, the better. In addition, you'll need to ask about Yubi and see if he recalls that name at all.

This seems go-getter enough and vaguely scheme-y enough to fit our Bayushi.

>>4043167
this

>>4043158
>It might be wise for you to return to patrolling the Market District. At the end of the day, after the Chief Magistrate has debriefed you, you will need to try and speak to the other yoriki and see what you can learn from them.

>In addition to the above, you're also planning to give Seibei another visit and see if he's able to arrange a meeting with Yubi – or somehow lure him into a position where you're able to grab him and talk with him about these banned books he's been selling.

Gradually, a plan formulates inside of your mind. If not a plan, then at least a course of action. Giving chase after Atsushi and Seibei, you are able to catch the two of them before the book-seller is escorted out of the door. Unfortunately, his contact with Yubi is minimal. It seems as though he only comes by on a whim, rather than on a regular basis. With no way of contacting the man, Seibei is unable to arrange a meeting, at least not on a whim. The most that he can do is wait until he is approached against by Yubi and try to arrange a meeting at a later date. Provided that Yubi doesn't realise that it's a trap, you'll have the opportunity to talk to him about these forbidden books of Tadataka's.

Once the book-seller is on his way, you make your way out of town and towards the Buke District. Of all the different wards in Beiden, this is the most luxurious one. This is the domain of samurai, both local and travelling, with pleasant lodgings and walled estates by the dozen. As the heimin have little business in this district, the roads are much less packed, allowing for a bit of breathing room. The only commoners that live here are the few merchants rich enough to afford housing in such a wealthy part of town.

It doesn't take too long for you to track down Shosuro Kinnosuke here. You find him speaking to a rather round heimen man, flanked by a pair of rather bored-looking dōshin. With great reluctance, the commoner shoves a pouch of coins into the deputy's hand and marches off to a nearby cart, lifting it and wheeling it away. As you approach, one of the dōshin taps his superior's shoulder and gestures towards you. Swiftly pocketing the purse, the porcelain-masked samurai offers an informal nod towards you, in stark contrast to your more respectful bow.

“The rabble never learn their lesson, do they? That fool just tried to sell his wares in this district, of all places. I managed to squeeze every last coin out of the idiot – that should be enough to make Orinosuke happy.” Behind the mask, his eyes narrow. “But I am rambling. What brings you to my jurisdiction, Kimiko-san?” Your fingers tighten into fists. He barely knows you, he has no right to use your personal name. Yet that is why he does it, you suppose – for the sole purpose of agitating you.

You explain the situation to him, keeping it short and simple. You tell him about the forbidden knowledge that Seibei was selling, and the sources that he claims it comes from. At the mention of Tadataka, Kinnosuke scoffs.

“I wish you good fortune trying to pin anything on that one. He is not the puppet of a samurai. Instead, there are samurai in Beiden that are his puppets. Rumour has it that he even has influence over Yogo Kanzaburo, our beloved daimyō. It might be smart of you to just walk away from this case, Kimiko-san. Who even knows if this Yubi was even telling the truth about his sources? Pah, Yubi – what sort of name is that?”

“Do you suspect that it might not be his real name?”

“I am certain, Kimiko-san. No one would call their child such a name, nor would anyone be foolish enough to adopt that name themselves. Still, try as I might, I cannot think of anywhere the fool could be getting forbidden books from. Tadataka is the only lead you have and for that reason, I encourage you to abandon this investigation, before you end up angering one of Beiden's most powerful men.”

Well, a fat lot of good he was.

>Two samurai might have a better chance to getting the truth out of Tadataka than one. Try to talk to Kinnosuke about helping you investigate the kingpin's estate. Together, you have a better chance of handling this senior merchant.
>A common merchant is not one of this town's most powerful men. You are going to investigate Tadataka's estate on your own, without the interference of Kinnosuke. You get the feeling that the white-masked samurai would just end up sabotaging your efforts anyway.
>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. There's no use in you doing anything about the kingpin until you have something more solid. All you can do is wait to see if anything comes of Seibei's attempts to arrange a meeting with Yubi. Otherwise, any investigation into Tadataka's affairs would be baseless.

>>4043362
>The books are unbound, what worries me most is that they might be printing more of them.
>But he is right, any investigation will need to be discreet and circumspect, thank him for his wisdom.

>>4043362
>A common merchant is not one of this town's most powerful men. You are going to investigate Tadataka's estate on your own, without the interference of Kinnosuke. You get the feeling that the white-masked samurai would just end up sabotaging your efforts anyway.
Would have been to keep the books to use argest him...

>>4043362
>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. Moving now would just offend the man if he's innocent, and tip him off if he's guilty. Wait until efforts to track Yubi bear fruit.

>>4043409
What would that even do anon? We show up with unbound books and say we know you're behind this because one seller knows a guy with a fake name who says it was you? Please.

>>4043362
>A common merchant is not one of this town's most powerful men. You are going to investigate Tadataka's estate on your own, without the interference of Kinnosuke. You get the feeling that the white-masked samurai would just end up sabotaging your efforts anyway.

>>4043362
>You suppose he has offered some wisdom.

>>4043362
>>A common merchant is not one of this town's most powerful men. You are going to investigate Tadataka's estate on your own, without the interference of Kinnosuke. You get the feeling that the white-masked samurai would just end up sabotaging your efforts anyway.

Also at some point try to find out if Shosuro Kinnosuke is corrupt and was accepting a bribery instead of confiscating money

>>4043362
>>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. There's no use in you doing anything about the kingpin until you have something more solid. All you can do is wait to see if anything comes of Seibei's attempts to arrange a meeting with Yubi. Otherwise, any investigation into Tadataka's affairs would be baseless.

>>4043362
>>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. There's no use in you doing anything about the kingpin until you have something more solid. All you can do is wait to see if anything comes of Seibei's attempts to arrange a meeting with Yubi. Otherwise, any investigation into Tadataka's affairs would be baseless.

>>4043362
>>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. There's no use in you doing anything about the kingpin until you have something more solid. All you can do is wait to see if anything comes of Seibei's attempts to arrange a meeting with Yubi. Otherwise, any investigation into Tadataka's affairs would be baseless.

>>4043362
>You suppose he has offered some wisdom. There's no use in you doing anything about the kingpin until you have something more solid. All you can do is wait to see if anything comes of Seibei's attempts to arrange a meeting with Yubi. Otherwise, any investigation into Tadataka's affairs would be baseless.

You have no choice but to wait. You have nothing solid that you can justify your investigation with, it wouldn't wise for you to visit Tadataka's estate now. There is one thing that troubles you though, and it's the fact that these books lacked any sort of cover or embellishment. Even their thread sewn binding was cheap and rudimentary. These books must have been made as cheaply as possible. Perhaps this is for the purpose of mass production? It is a troubling thought.

With nothing else to learn from Kinnosuke, you leave the fellow deputy to his patrol and return to your own. All you can do is wait and see if Yubi will ever return to Seibei, with more books to sell. This could take days, weeks or even months...

And surely enough, a month does pass, without any event or sighting of Yubi. Spring blossoms into summer and the air becomes hot, humid and oppressive. The burgeoning crowds of Beiden grow even larger as travel throughout Rokugan reaches its height, with thousands of people seeking passage through the Beiden Pass every day, heimin and samurai alike. With more people comes more crime – the only peaceful days are the ones you spend in the Buke District or the Temple Ward. In every other part of town, there's always a thief to catch or a fight to break up, as irritable traders begin to brawl over the slightest disagreements. After all, summer is the season of conflict, the time of year when the Great Clans battle against each other over territory. Thankfully, the Lion Clan is far too occupied skirmishing with the Unicorn to the West and the Crane to the East to think about attacking Scorpion lands. Beiden is safe – for now.

Though the days are becoming more stressful, you manage to keep yourself from succumbing to frustration by continuing to indulge in luxury, donating much of your hard-earned coin to local businesses in exchange for the amenities that they provide. Not only that, but it is during these first days of summer that you receive a letter, a missive from the lands of the Unicorn Clan. The author is none other than Utaku Khulan, a noble Battle Maiden who you met during your childhood and bonded with. To this day, you still exchange letters with her. Most of the news you get from her is rather unimportant, but this pastime serves as a pleasant distraction from reality.

In the comfort of your quarters, you open the letter to read it.

Bayushi Kimiko,

While I did not expect that you would be chosen to serve the magistrates of your clan, it is not a shameful station to say the least. You carry the burden of preserving peace and order, of maintaining the foundation that keeps the Emerald Empire from crashing down. From what you have told me of your time at Kagoki, you have already excelled at this. I can't tell you how proud I am of you.

Nor can I say how overjoyed I am to hear that you have acquired a companion! Haru sounds like a sweet pony, for I cannot think of any mare of Rokugani stock as a horse. Nonetheless, I understand that they are quite durable creatures, so you shouldn't worry about shoeing her. Instead, always make sure that the crupper is secure to keep her saddle in place, and do not rest the bit against her teeth, press it against her gums instead. Horses can be a nightmare to control if you do not use tack appropriately.

You have no idea what half of these words mean. What is 'shoeing,' let alone a saddle, a crupper or a bit? With a shake of your head, you read on.

With the arrival of spring, life has grown more interesting. Once more, I have been assigned to serve as a diplomat's yōjimbō, to protect him with my life as he represents our daimyō in the courts of other clans. It will be difficult for me to enjoy the company of any steed other than Bayan, but I suppose I will need to become accustomed to riding a normal warhorse. Though they are fine beasts, they are not of Utaku stock.

Unfortunately, my travelling throughout Rokugan shall mean that these letters might become more infrequent – I will only be able to read and reply to them when I return to Battle Maiden Castle. However, there is always a chance that my charge might be assigned to Scorpion lands, perhaps even Beiden or Seven Stings Keep. It would be a joy to meet you again, K̶i̶y̶o̶k̶ Kimiko-chan. Until I next hear from you, I shall pray for your success, and for the recognition of your dutiful service.

Utaku Khulan.

>Finally, someone that you can vent to. This is a chance for you to speak of the difficulty you have been having with this investigation, to speak of these forbidden books that discovered and how you long to track down the blasphemer responsible for producing them.
>Focus on her. No matter how long it takes for her to reply, you would enjoy hearing about her exploits and adventures in the courts of other clans. Hopefully she will have some interesting tales to share with you, when she next writes.
>Keep the topic on horses, and inquire about the equipment that she mentioned. What is a bit, and why does it go anywhere near a horse's mouth? How do you use 'tack' properly, whatever tack is supposed to be?
>You have more important things on your mind. Get rid of the letter, there's no need to send a reply. You've got work to worry about.

>In addition, you gain 0.2 koku from your monthly stipend, after spending some of it on luxuries. You currently have 10.36 koku.

>>4044122
>Focus on her. No matter how long it takes for her to reply, you would enjoy hearing about her exploits and adventures in the courts of other clans. Hopefully she will have some interesting tales to share with you, when she next writes.

Let's not put evidence of our forbidden knowledge on a piece of parchment.

>>4044122
>>Focus on her. No matter how long it takes for her to reply, you would enjoy hearing about her exploits and adventures in the courts of other clans. Hopefully she will have some interesting tales to share with you, when she next writes.

>>4044122
>>Focus on her. No matter how long it takes for her to reply, you would enjoy hearing about her exploits and adventures in the courts of other clans. Hopefully she will have some interesting tales to share with you, when she next writes.

>>4044122
>>Keep the topic on horses, and inquire about the equipment that she mentioned. What is a bit, and why does it go anywhere near a horse's mouth? How do you use 'tack' properly, whatever tack is supposed to be?

Knowledge is power even knowledge on horses/ponies

You try to avoid writing too much about the past few months in the letter. Instead, you offer your best wishes to Khulan. Hopefully she will enjoy the time that she spends throughout the different courts in Rokugan, and with any luck, she won't need to sully her blade with blood of fools too often. Above all else, you refuse to write about your current investigation. The Battle Maiden doesn't need to know about your dealings with banned books, and you feel the tiniest pang of guilt for what you have done. If she knew that you willingly learned forbidden knowledge, she would be horrified. Thankfully, what she doesn't know won't hurt her. You send the letter, with the hopes that you get a reply sooner rather than later.

The days go by and for the most part, they seem to be uneventful, with nothing occurring outside of the usual incidents of petty theft and pointless bickering. Well, nothing except for one thing. Whenever you have to return to the station during the day – typically dragging along a thief that you caught or an unreasonable trader – you occasionally spot a samurai either entering or leaving the building. It is always the same one, a immaculately dressed man of the Scorpion Clan. His long black hair flows freely and the lower half of his face is obscured by a brilliant red menpō, with the long, almost comical nose of a tengu.

The first time you see him, you are somewhat bemused but think nothing of it. The second time you spot him walking through the station, you are curious – he carries no jitte, so he does not serve the magistrates. Judging from the fact that he only carries a wakizashi rather than the full daishō, he does not serve the Scorpion Clan as a warrior but as a bureaucrat, or perhaps an artisan. There is a chance that he might even be a shugenja, a mystical mage-priest who wields the power of spirits. The third time you see him being led through the building by a dōshin, you are almost tempted to stop and question the man about his business in the station, but that would be uncouth, so you allow him to continue on his way.

On a hot summer afternoon, just after you have passed judgement on yet another urchin that you caught trying to steal from a travelling merchant, you see this samurai for the fourth time. You are on your way out of the station with Atsushi, while he is on his way in. After a quick and quiet word with one of the dōshin at the entrance, he is led into the depths of the building.

Curious.

>As peculiar as the samurai is, you have no place to poke your nose in his business. Whatever reason he has for being at the station, it's nothing to do with you. Carry on with your day.
>It doesn't matter how rude it might be. You want to know what he is doing in here, what business he has with Beiden's magistrates. So you'll wait by the entrance to the station and speak with him once he's outside.
>While you won't speak with the man himself, you will speak with the dōshin who led him inside, once the samurai has departed. You'll learn everything that the servant knows about this strange guest.
>The curiosity is too much for you to resist. Atsushi can wait here, you're following the samurai inside. You'll keep your distance and tread carefully – with luck, you won't be seen or heard as you follow him deeper into the station. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4044213
>>The curiosity is too much for you to resist. Atsushi can wait here, you're following the samurai inside. You'll keep your distance and tread carefully – with luck, you won't be seen or heard as you follow him deeper into the station. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4044213
>The curiosity is too much for you to resist. Atsushi can wait here, you're following the samurai inside. You'll keep your distance and tread carefully – with luck, you won't be seen or heard as you follow him deeper into the station. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

>>4044213
>>The curiosity is too much for you to resist. Atsushi can wait here, you're following the samurai inside. You'll keep your distance and tread carefully – with luck, you won't be seen or heard as you follow him deeper into the station. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)

Going with:
>The curiosity is too much for you to resist. Atsushi can wait here, you're following the samurai inside. You'll keep your distance and tread carefully – with luck, you won't be seen or heard as you follow him deeper into the station. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.)
I require a roll of 7d6 using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep three successes to succeed.

I will accept the best of three.

Rolled 6, 2, 2, 5, 4, 5, 5 = 29 (7d6)

>>4044273

Rolled 4, 1, 5, 2, 3, 3, 3 = 21 (7d6)

>>4044273

Rolled 6, 6, 1, 5, 2, 5, 3 = 28 (7d6)

>>4044273

Rolled 5, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3 = 19 (7d6)

>>4044273

>Going with >>4044281, four successes.

Every footfall is careful. You keep your distance from the samurai and walk at a slow, ponderous pace. To the passing dōshin, it appears as though you are idly ambling through the station – there's no reason for them to be suspicious. It helps that this samurai doesn't seem to be particularly paranoid, he doesn't look over his shoulder or search for anyone who might be following him. Instead, he walks as though he has a reason to be here, as though he has authority. He feels safe and secure.

You find out the reason for this when you follow him to his destination, none other than Yogo Orinosuke's personal chamber. When the pair stop at the doorway to the Chief Magistrate's quarters, you make sure that you remain around the corner, out of sight and sound. Once the guest has been ushered inside and the dōshin walks away, you press yourself against the wall. In the dimly lit hallway, you are easily missed by the heimin as he passes you by, no doubt returning to his post at the entrance to the station. Peering around the corner, you observe the corridor that leads to the Chief Magistrate's chamber.

It's short, about a dozen yards long but it's also narrow – two yards wide. A single lamp can be found on the hardwood floor, its dim flame flickering beneath the paper cover. At the end of the corridor, most of the far wall is taken up by the sliding door that leads into Orinosuke's quarters. There's just enough space at either side of that door for you to squeeze yourself in without being seen, if you wish to eavesdrop – and the shadows caused by the lack of lighting might help to obscure your presence. If you wish to risk listening to this conversation, you will need to stay very quiet and very still – otherwise you will surely be discovered when this guest leaves the chamber.

>Abandon this foolish endeavour. Whatever reason this samurai might have to speak with the Chief Magistrate, it's none of your business. Turn back and forget you were ever here at all.
>You're not foolish enough to try and eavesdrop. However, hen the samurai takes his leave, you'll be waiting by the station's entrance to question him about his business with your superior.
>It's time for you to get back to your duties. At the end of the day however, after the debriefing, you will see if you can find some time alone with Yogo Orinosuke to ask about this guest – without giving away that you stalked him all the way to his quarters.
>You've come too far to give up now. Sneak closer and squeeze yourself into that corner so that you can listen to their conversation. If you keep still and stay quiet, no one will ever know that you were here. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep four successes to succeed.)

>>4044334
>>It's time for you to get back to your duties. At the end of the day however, after the debriefing, you will see if you can find some time alone with Yogo Orinosuke to ask about this guest – without giving away that you stalked him all the way to his quarters.

>>4044334
>You've come too far to give up now. Sneak closer and squeeze yourself into that corner so that you can listen to their conversation. If you keep still and stay quiet, no one will ever know that you were here. (This will require a roll using your Air ring of 3 and your Skulduggery skill of 2. You will need to keep four successes to succeed.)

>>4044334
>>It's time for you to get back to your duties. At the end of the day however, after the debriefing, you will see if you can find some time alone with Yogo Orinosuke to ask about this guest – without giving away that you stalked him all the way to his quarters.

I really wanna listen in but four successes is too risky

>>4044334
>It's time for you to get back to your duties. At the end of the day however, after the debriefing, you will see if you can find some time alone with Yogo Orinosuke to ask about this guest – without giving away that you stalked him all the way to his quarters.

It's not worth it. You turn about and slink away from the corridor, leaving the Chief Magistrate to speak with his guest in peace. You'd rather not be caught intruding on his business, whatever it might be. Your journey back to the station's entrance is a short one and you reunite with Atsushi, to continue the afternoon patrol. Despite your best efforts to put it out of your mind, this meeting lingers in your thoughts.

So once the evening arrives and you return to Yogo Orinosuke for your debriefing, you patiently wait until all of the other deputies have departed to handle their own affairs. Once you are alone with the Chief Magistrate, you speak.

“Forgive me Yogo-sama, but I have a concern.” You bow your head as you raise the issue, displaying your deference to the Chief Magistrate. “Recently, I have seen a samurai entering the station, one who is not a magistrate or a deputy. I believe that he has a mask reminiscent of a tengu? I cannot help but wonder what reason this man might have to enter our station.”

“Ah. That would be Yogo Sadayoshi, a representative of our beloved daimyō.” Your superior is surprisingly forthcoming. Perhaps there is nothing secretive about his dealings with this Sadayoshi after all. “Through him, Yogo Kanzaburo and I discuss matters of governance and justice.”

“Yet today, I saw him enter the station for the fourth time in only a handful of weeks. Might I inquire what business he has to discuss with you, that keeps on bringing him back to your domain?”

“You may not, Bayushi-san.” Ah. That was too much to hope for, clearly. Once more you bow your head in deference, while the Chief Magistrate continues. “An inquisitive mind might assist you with your investigations, but I suggest that you focus your attention solely on said investigations. So far, you have proven yourself to be one of the more talented deputies in my service. I believe that you have a bright future in this station – see to it that I have no reason to stop believing that.”

“Of course, Yogo-sama. Forgive my intrusion.”

“It is forgiven and already forgotten. Is there anything else that you have to ask of me, or are we done here?”

>If there is anything else that you have to say to Yogo Orinosuke or ask him, now's the time for it. If not, time will move forward once more.

>>4044427
Nothing of import, though we should make a quick check of the other book sellers for more such shady books.

>>4044427
>>If there is anything else that you have to say to Yogo Orinosuke or ask him, now's the time for it. If not, time will move forward once more.
Bring up Tadataka's case while we're here. Curious to see if he also warns us off investigating it as well

>>4044427
Nothing for now

>>4044435
I think this seems like a decent idea at this point too. As is we're in a status quo that doesn't seem terribly promising -- and if he actually is okay with the investigation he may give us a hint of some sort.

>>4044451
Also if he also tells us to drop it we should do so as well; it probably suggests Tadataka has enough influence among the higher ups that if we get into trouble no one might bail us out of it

>>4044435
supporting

“There is one investigation that I have been having difficulty with, Yogo-sama.” And so you begin the tale of Seibei, Yubi and Tadataka. How a simple seller of books was found possessing forbidden knowledge that he unknowingly bought from a stranger, and how this trail supposedly leads to the personal collection of one of the wealthiest merchants in Beiden.

“The truth is that I would like to see Tadataka suffer.” That isn't what you expected Orinosuke to say. You give him a puzzled look and the Chief Magistrate stares back, that black menpō obscuring much of his expression. “More than once, I have been tempted to have him seized and executed. He has more power than one of the rabble has any right to possess. It is unfortunate that I need justification. Without it, there would be uproar among the merchants that he is responsible for. This town does not need that sort of instability so for now, he remains.”

“What makes matters more difficult,” he continues, “is his connection to the daimyō. This would not be the first time that one of my deputies have investigated him. Even magistrates have tried to scrutinise his dealings. Each time, I receive word from Yogo Kanzaburo that these investigations must immediately cease – and as he is my lord, I cannot refuse his commands. So if you are planning on looking into Tadataka's affairs, you must be swift and decisive. Do not waste this opportunity, Bayushi-san.”

“Yet what do you suggest I do? At this time, I can do nothing but wait for this Yubi to reveal himself.”

“I am curious about the design of these books, how they were made with such little care for quality. Without a doubt, they are cheap copies. I find it just as strange that he would choose to keep such shabby books in his 'personal collection.' Woodblock printing must have been used to produce these copies yet for them to exist at all, there must be an original. If these texts come from Tadataka at all – something that you cannot know for sure – then a source material is required, as well as a printing press. I find it unlikely that he is unwise enough to keep either in his estate.”

Thanking the Chief Magistrate for his wisdom, you depart to rest for the night, though it is difficult for you to sleep. Thanks to the Temple of Tenjin, the Fortune of Stories and Secrets, Beiden is one of the most literate towns in the Emerald Empire. A great deal of the town's shops and stalls are dedicated to the sale of books, and there are just as many printing presses in order for the mass production of these texts to be feasible.