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Post by The Wake Angels on Feb 16, 2018 18:40:32 GMT 10
"What could that be?" Ariel murmurs, still holding the mute for the alien's receiver.
"Clearly Maho has gone digital," Ketaan jokes. "Our thin-shelled shooting dummy is screwed."
"You joke," Tai-Wen's voice comes, holding a sharp edge. "But I'm in the business of putting shugenja out of business. Who's to say some alien isn't doing the same for maho-tsukai?"
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Post by Kasuga Naosuko on Feb 17, 2018 3:31:58 GMT 10
"But, being the savvy business-being that you are, you did capture an image or two anyways, right?" Naosuko asks of the Zenijin. "After all, it's just good business." She considers the holo tech that the alien mentioned, on the surface it sounds like something the Sassathif might have, but still... Smell-o-Vision? Intelligence/Lore: Gaijin: 7d10o10k3 27
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 17, 2018 5:00:55 GMT 10
((OOC: I am saving you from having to make another Lore Gaijin Roll near the bottom of this post. With a 27 thinking about the Sassathif, you shouldn't need to roll again to represent remembering the major reason the Tortoise were worried about the Sassathif meeting the Lion.))
As the Tortoise had expanded across the stars, two things became clear quite quickly. The first was that few races developed any form of active magic. Oh some had unique passive abilities that caused issues, and some had legends that clearly showed the presence of spirits on their world, but few actually interacted directly with those spirits compared to the many types of magic Rokugan once had. And the Second was that intelligent races didn't tend to develop on worlds closely tied to a spirit realm by and large. Such thin barriers usually lead to the spirit realm's inhabitants taking over the world.
Rokugan was exceptional in this regard. Not better perhaps, after all, no one would WANT the Festering Pit, but unique regardless.
The Sassathif were another exception in this regard, and that tended to make their tech strange at times. They didn't have the ability to talk to the kami, that was clear, but a spirit realm touched a lot of what they did. As for which one....The Tortoise had a few theories, and the Sassathif themselves claimed it was the Realm of Animal Spirits, although given the violent nature of this race, and its concepts of Glory, this particular realm seemed unlikely.
Regardless, anyone who dealt with Sassathif had seen this device before, a way to extend the blind races senses across the void of space. Its exact function and limitations were unknown, however it was known that through it Sassathif seemed to be able to sense a change in emotions and the position of the subject. It or they could be tricked however, especially by those with exceptional control of their On.
And it was well known that while any source of digitally encoded DNA seemed to work, the Sassathif very clearly preferred blood. Whether it gave a better signal, was just a byproduct of the races violent nature or for some other reason Naosuko didn't know.
"Of course Samurai-Sama," There was a few orders given in its language and a new file appeared in the transfer, "I can tell you right now, she large for her kind. Lifetimes of Glory for her lord level Large."
That comment needed little explanation, for the Sassathif belief system was well known to Naosuko and was part of the information the Tortoise had been forced to release. Each Sassathif believed they were reborn again and again to serve the same family, preferably in battle. And those of great size were believed to have been glorious warriors for dozens of lifetimes, their body physically getting larger due to the glory that clung to their spirit.
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Post by Kasuga Naosuko on Feb 17, 2018 6:27:27 GMT 10
The files are all transferred via a small data stick from her ships comms to the air-gapped workstation and then scrubbed from her ships memory completely. The data stick is also wiped clean as she keeps only one source of evidence of this foreign contact out of anything official.
"<Good Trade>,"She says, thanking the Zenijin for the data. "Were you party to the removal of the great space station from this system?"
More text to her companions, "I will send more detailed information about the Sassathif after this, you will need to know more."
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Post by Asako Kokishin on Feb 17, 2018 23:42:53 GMT 10
"Black Lotus?" Have I heard of this "Black Lotus" before? Kokishin searches his mind. Lore: Shadowlands/Intelligence 38 orokos.com/roll/595179
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 18, 2018 1:41:58 GMT 10
The Zenijin's eyes flashed but replied, <Good Trade, despite the lack of slaves.> The sarcasm was clear, but then, given the state of his ship, it was likely that any slaves in this trade would only be him and his crew. He seemed to about to say something but a thought seemed to occur to him. Brightening, he added, <Although, there is still some profit to be had from this yet. This one thanks you for helping him live long enough to see it.>
A bunch of orders are issued and a new sector of the ship comes online. Its clearly not designed for combat, that much is apparent to everyones scanners.
"Now, for the Drone. Do you plan to take one of the Drones I lost communication with before I try and transmit a self destruct code, or do you want a confirmed functional one? I can't make them stop, but I am sure you have your ways if you would prefer the safer option."
As Kokishin thinks about that term, something about it sounds familiar. The Lotus is certainly a prominent symbol in Rokugan and many cults had taken it before. And he was sure he had heard a reference before to a Dark Lotus before in his readings. But whatever it was, it wasn't directly connected to the Shadowlands. He is very sure its obscure enough that few outside the Lore Masters of the Phoenix would know of it.
((OOC: Roll Lore Theology, or Lore History. And I suggest you call a raise.))
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Post by Asako Kokishin on Feb 18, 2018 5:30:41 GMT 10
I get one Raise for free thanks to the Loremaster Rank 1 ability. That said, I will call another for a total of two. I'm also spending a Void Point. Lore: History/Intelligence (Void Point, 0/3 now remaining): 29 orokos.com/roll/595230 (24 after adjusting for the raise; good lord, 4 1's out of 8 rolled dice)
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 19, 2018 0:17:21 GMT 10
The Dark Lotus, while many things, at heart refers to one thing; An oddity in the Memoirs of Rosoku, a descendant of Shinsei from the year 1160. A phrase used in only two paragraphs, it appears to at first glance contradict the idea of the many individual paths to enlightenment. The paragraphs make it very clear that Rosoku is not referring to a false path, but instead something that will reshape the Empire, one that is clearly a True Path, at least in its own way. Most scholars of the memoirs, noting the term's lack of appearance in either the Tao of Shinsei or the lesser New Tao, assume that it is a message only for those who have walked far along the path of Enlightenment, rather then those taking the first steps.
Despite this, it remained in the public imagination and was often used as a call to arms for those who wished to shake up the Imperial Government. A group known as the Kolat used it as a symbol for a while, as did Motonari. The Shogan during the Meiji rebellion claimed to be the Light Lotus, defending the Empire from the stagnation of the Dark Lotus. Finally, several small Monk sects have claimed to have answered the call of the Dark Lotus, mostly from the Brotherhood of Shinsei but at least once from the Dragon Clan. These sect naturally have been declared heretical, and purged or banished wherever possible.
Still, it has been a while since any Monk sect who made such claims gained enough power or attention to require public censoring by the Grand Abbott.
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 20, 2018 1:33:08 GMT 10
((OOC: Although this thread is not entirely resolved, there is only one last lead you can follow. The Obsidianite trail. As such, I will be starting a thread tommrow where you can discuss what to do next is someone else doesn't start one first.
I will also take this moment to remind you that the AI Drones are both Gaijin tech (which is, while not illegal, definitely frowned upon to use with few family exceptions) and AI, (Which is actually illegal as pointed out by Tai-Wen earlier in the thread, due to the events surrounding Isawa's Last Wish) and as such taking part in the dissection of the Drone after the party acquires, or for that matter not making at least some objection may result in slight honor loss. Actually using the Drone or even its components for something will likely causes a Dark Secret (Gaijin tech) or Dark Secret (Illegal Gaijin tech) Disadvantage.))
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Post by Kasuga Naosuko on Feb 21, 2018 1:59:15 GMT 10
((OOC: Thanks for the reminder about the AI. I must have missed that part of backstory. As for the gaijin tech part, well... I've already handled some.))
Naosuko mutes the gaijin momentarily and speaks to her companions, "I do not have the capability of capturing any of the drones. I may be able to find a suitable salvage crew, but they would require some portion of the tech as well. Tortoise of course, highly trusted and discreet. Then, after you discuss the particulars of what you want out of the drone, we would share that information with your respective clans."
While they consider it, Naosuko returns to communicating with the Zenijin. "My companions are discussing those particulars. I had asked you a question though, were you party to the removal of the large Rokugani structure that was in this system?"
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 21, 2018 3:56:11 GMT 10
((OOC: thetabletopreview.proboards.com/thread/182/main-inquisitor-fold-puzzle At the moment its just a summery of all your leads right now, given how long its been since you found out half of them. You may start that thread properly at any time.)) The Zenijin does a harsh approximation of laughter, "We are not a Salvage vessel, Samurai-Sama. And given the Cruiser sent after it, if we were, we would not be here. Good money in something this important, far to good to be waiting to ambush someone when a messanger drone can do the job for you. Just told to respond to a tripwire, monologue to whoever broke it, and then remove them. Didn't even care about your fates if you triggered the buoys, as long as you were no longer a problem."
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Post by Daigotsu Enshiro on Feb 23, 2018 18:36:24 GMT 10
Enshiro entertains himself idly with the idea of simply destroying the stationary gaijin. Doubtless, his fellow samurai would not likely approve of this course of action, not after a deal had been made. Such brash action might even strain their cooperation as a team.
The Spider's attention is drawn away from these thoughts by the Kasuga's message regarding salvage.
"My ship is equipped with a grappling hook. Certainly a crude method, and it runs the risk of destroying the drone. But, if there are no other options, it is something." He pauses a moment in consideration. "Though, I would also add that we are on a clock. Time is of the essence, ne?"
And with that, Enshiro begins ordering his crew a bit more. "The World of Dreams seems a likely destination in our near future. Pull up any relevant information. Prepare trajectory calculations using the Obsidanite trail as a reference. Overlay results on a map of known worlds on this path, highlighting any known worlds with a Void influence or worlds that are controlled by the Sassathif."
((OoC: Let me know if you want me to roll for any of this.))
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Post by emeralddragon on Feb 24, 2018 15:21:42 GMT 10
((OOC: Roll battle/Int, just so you can interrupt the data you get from the Obsidanite in a tactic sense. Its very easy to look at it and go, "Ok its going this way" but to have a guess why requires battle.))
The crew begin following orders, bringing up data, tracking the Obsidanite and preparing the grappling hook. Quickly data about the end of the trail is brought to Enshiro's dataslate, estimating a 15% chance of error in direction due to not following the trail to the end. Meanwhile another document brings up all known data for the World of Dreams.
World of Dreams: Scorpion controlled Ecumenopolis, classification 1SBSm (Habitation deemed Very Safe, and Imperial approval granted for all castes) Note: Such ratings do not take into account man made toxins in the air. High traffic world Large criminal presence.
Given recent tensions in the Empire, and the actions of the Matsu against the Mantis in the space above the world less then 5 years ago as well as the negative opinion that attack generated during Court, it is highly recommended that Military craft enter and leave the system following all traditions and do NOT disrupt the flow of traffic, unless it is done so in such a way that it won't effect the Clan's efforts elsewhere.
Important landmarks: The Underhive Shiro Anou Station Silkworm Cocoon Tower The Scorpion's Embrace Hanamachi district. Clan Embassies to the World of Dreams. more...
Given the nature of the Spider, this is obviously the warning is not an exact rule, but given the current tensions between the Spider and the Dragon, aggravating the Scorpion is not wise. On the other hand, the Scorpion are on the verge of War with the Phoenix or perhaps the Badger, so if you are careful you could likely get away with more.
The code does however remind Enshiro that the world is minorly connected to the realm of Sakkaku, but otherwise perfectly balanced.
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Post by The Wake Angels on Feb 24, 2018 18:20:27 GMT 10
"Feh. They took a few direct shots, and the shields are probably automated as well. Crude or not, fishing won't hurt. And if it does, I can fix it. Or break it further. Haven't quite decided. In any case, let's tag it, bag it, and be on our way. It's a good haul to our next point, wherever that is. We're in deadspace here."
"Tai-Wen makes a good point. The trail goes cold the longer we linger."
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Post by Daigotsu Enshiro on Feb 25, 2018 8:33:12 GMT 10
The Unicorn's assessment was sound. "Fire the hook when ready." Enshiro commands, not even looking over his shoulder at the troops, too busy looking over the data about the Obsidanite, instead. Battle/ Intelligence: 30 orokos.com/roll/597611
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