Code of Dishonor Plot Infiltrator Information.

[powersthatbe]

Plot spoilers below; read at your own risk.

Comments

Maria - Nakamiyo Battousai

[powersthatare]

Nakamiyo Battousai: Young, gifted assassin who strikes with blades hidden in their sleeves, this child soldier knows little but war. The assassin's handlers, while not plot roles, are open for PCs to play, starting a stabby, manipulative web of CR.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Invisible Blade. Strike so swiftly with a thin-bladed sword that it can be heard, but not seen.

INFORMATION: from a young age, raised to be a cold, jaded killing machine, shaped by deprivation and discipline, the child is rewarded for stoicism and viciousness and punished for sentimentality, in a classic case of conditioning. Little more than a guided weapon, she is directed to kill, then sent back to an isolated compound to train.

Now, with likely war upcoming, her handlers are keeping her nearby as they confer with the other provinicial chieftains, insytructing her to act as a bodyguard, the most socialization she's had in her young life.

Re: Maria - Nakamiyo Battousai

[happyhalloween]

ALL RIGHT. So. Me and Blue and Rain were hoping to have Maria, Istas, and Eren in one extended family--is that doable with the parts the way that they are?

ETA: Like, Maria being Istas' daughter who'd been taken away at birth/as a baby (and Eren being her uncle and NONE OF THEM REALIZING that Maria's Istas' kid.)

Re: Maria - Nakamiyo Battousai

[strategyandasword]

So Pearl is going to be one of the handlers. :D

Caaaaan I ask what kind of people the handlers are? Like, in terms of rank/social position/etc.? Officially involved with the leadership of the province or no?

Eren - Openhanded Nakamiyo

[powersthatare]

Openhanded Nakamiyo: Heir to a family of martial artists with secret, open-handed techniques, this ingenue is naive and charming, honorable and formidable in a fair fight. The ingenue’s family, less gifted but more canny, keeping their champion loyal and directed, are available for PC play.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Open Hand Mastery. Punch through brick, throw enemies twenty feet, slap weapons aside bare handed, and achieve one-handed joint locks and immobilizations.

Information: a child of wealth and privilege whose natural gifts have been honed for the pride of his clan, Eren's loyalty is more familial than provincial, and so he has been taught to dislike the Mibugumi, who are seen as interfering toadies of the shogun. The Koroshima ninjas are bloodthirsty butchers, and the Sun Guard religious fanatics. The Shogun himself is a foe, but an honorable, respected foe, who has won the battles needed to set the rules, for now.

Eren's clan wants the Mibugumi to win the Shogun's favor, but they also worry that such a victory will cement the place of egalitarian, meritocratic ronin as above their own in the provincial hierarchy. Therefore, they want Eren to emerge from this conflict a seasoned and very visible champion.

As with the Battousai, too much information can only harm Eren's service to the clan, and he therefore has a constant escort to feed him propaganda and protect him from any influences that might broaden his worldview.

[laceandcarnage]

Noting here that Istas will be Eren's older sister, and thus will be one of the people acting as escort we'll see how well that goes

[bite_the_hand]

Firstly, apologies for the delayed check-in! I wasn't entirely sure on how this was supposed to work so I panicked

Two questions. First, would it be okay to give him Fire Elementalism? Only used when the rules permit and his opponent has proved themselves worthy, of course. (Basically the equivalent of that fighting anime trope where when the hero finally finds a worthy opponent they reveal they actually were wearing ridiculously heavy weighted training gear the whole time. Just with less silly clothes and more setting his fists on fire.)

Second, I'm a little confused on what exactly Eren's supposed to be doing? Or rather, I get the desired effect but am unsure on how exactly would be the best way to go about it? What are some examples of things his clan would point him at to take care of? For the mingle that just went my best guess would be to have him just be a show-off to remind the Mibugumi recruits who the "real" masters there are but am I missing something?

Toshi - Mibugumi Captain

[powersthatare]

Mibugumi Captain: Head of the meritocratic Ronin used as a defense force for the country, this warrior is stern, disciplined, mentoring, and as coldly realistic as they are dutiful. Their inner Cadre of elite warriors is available for PC play, and investigators who prove their mettle may be invited to join as well.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Three Weapon Fighting. Draw, sheathe, and exchange weapons quickly enough to effectively wield three light weapons simultaneously. Usually a short sword or dagger, a sai or sword breaker, and a nunchuck, tonfa, or battle fan/tessen.


INFORMATION: 200 soldiers - recruits from all classes, provinces, and backgrounds - were gathered together three years ago, training as a militia, their original purpose being to mimic the commoner fighting force represented by the Suzuki rifles, using only what weapons were still permitted to the Nakamiyo's former rebels.

After judicious discipline, testing, and attrition, a few over 150 now serve the province, selected for weapon-skill, courage, and loyalty to the Shogun, not the province itself or its factions. Defending against Koroshima raids and pushing borders north into Nakumatou land, even facing down rebellion, have taken a back seat to their new mission, being primed for use as shock troop marines in a foreign war they know nothing about.

Through this winnowing process, the Captain has emerged as a natural leader, too rational to fall victim to clan disputes, too cautious to venture into disloyalty or overweaning ambition. He knows this unit will always be a tool or victim of political conveniences, and so his best option is to make it so successful it cannot be thrown away - not to the province, but to the Shogun, who has veto over the sub-regional clan governments. Truthfully, his own loyalty is to expediency, not to any government. But success means not only being the best available force, but not losing too many men to the Sun Guard or the Akuryu - better to avoid an unfavorable engagement than win a bloody victory. Of all the militias, the Mibugumi are least-liked, worst-armed, least trained, and most numerous. That leaves two avenues - recruit heavily, to swell the ranks; and recruit the best - find and sway the uncommitted elite of other units to join the Mibugumi.

While the various provincial officials have met ostensibly to discuss if there's any negotiated resolution possible to the upcoming rivalry, or what the rules of conduct are to be as you kill one another over the Shogun's favor, your initial purpose is to steal their best before the battles begin.

Re: Toshi - Mibugumi Captain

[nicotinized]

Read and acknowledged! I'm thinking an internal structure of ten units, each with their own captain, though one unit may be dedicated to logistics and info-gathering. Is Toshi aware of the plans to use them as shock troops, or is that over his head too?

Re: Toshi - Mibugumi Captain

[powersthatare]

2 days out from the next mingle, so: Having anyone killed in week 2? Mounting any attacks?

Re: Toshi - Mibugumi Captain

[powersthatare]

Week 3: any news / plans/ conflicts / events to report?

Hajime - Akuryu Elder.

[powersthatare]

Akuryu Elder: head of the darkblades, this vicious, cold-blooded sovereign of slaughter is the ultimate mercenary, collector of secrets, and taker of heads. They will stop at nothing to achieve victory. All Akuryu answer to the elder, so CR is automatic.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Perceive Weakness. Through fighting and eye contact, know the desires, fears, or flaws of any opponent.

INFORMATION: Patriarch of a mountain clan, last surviving founder of the Akuryu, once a rebellious sect and now a mercenary force, you hold a dark and devastating secret - key not only to the lives and deaths of the 60-some trained assassins who serve you, but to all of their loved ones, all of their homes.

After the last time the Akuryu attempted to assassinate the Bando Shogun, five years past, an Imperial Messenger came to you and offered an ultimatum - cease rebellion immediately, or the Imperial Dragons (elemental spirits bound to the defense of the mainland) will be unleashed in Koroshima, bringing flood, avalanche, freeze, forest fire, earthquake, and volcano among the peaks until your people are destroyed.

Since you accepted, you have secretly consulted the Bando Shogun on any assassination of a mainland official. Those native to the peninsula are, as they have ever been, fair game, unless the Shogun sends word to say otherwise - at the moment, his hand is held in protection over the Mibugumi Captain and the Nakamatou Swordsmith, and he asks for consultation before any contract is taken on the Openhanded Nakamiyo Heir. It matters little to the Shogun if Koroshima or Nakamiyo wins this contest, but the Sun Guard of Nakumatou are too organized and independent for his liking, and in general he would see their numbers reduced.

You are too used to bloody compromise to feel any regrets that you are loyal to the Shogun - not when he could destroy your people - but there is a problem. Once, a prize student of yours overheard some piece of the conversation with the Shogun's messenger. Immediately you swore out a writ of desertion upon her, marking her as a Rogue, a spy in your midst to be destroyed at all costs. What she knows must never be told...

[chalicejoker]

Checking in! And this all looks excellent, can't think of any questions yet.

[chalicejoker]

Just thought of a question--for Perceive Weakness, how long does he have to fight someone and make eye contact before he picks up on the opponent's desires, fears, or flaws?

Re: Hajime - Akuryu Elder.

[powersthatare]

Week 3: any news / plans/ conflicts / events to report?

Re: Hajime - Akuryu Elder.

[chalicejoker]

Okay, so Hajime's supposed to consult the Shogun before he takes any action on the Openhanded Nakamiyo Heir. With the way Ren's trying to stir up rebellion, Hajime's strongly considering trying to call in another hit here, preferably a subtle one so the rebellion wouldn't necessarily have a convenient martyr to use. Before I start trying to plot anything, how would that consultation pan out?

Cass - Rogue Akuryu.

[powersthatare]

Rogue Akuryu: this lone wolf abandoned village and clan to become a fugitive, a hated deserter, forced now to use assassin's gifts in self defense against the kinsmen hunting them. A potentially priceless recruit for other nations, their reasons for going rogue are unknown, and their motive now is simple survival. Those who were once close to the rogue, and now hunt them, are available for infiltration.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Mirrored Motion. Match another fighter's movements perfectly, making an unbeatable defense in single combat unless on bad terrain, but vulnerable to other attackers and unable to attack while using. Can also be used to hide from a single observer, regardless of terrain.

INFORMATION: the Akuryu were once rebels; then servants of the clans of Koroshima. And in Koroshima, only two people know that this is no longer true - the Elder of the Akuryu, your mentor, serves the Bando Shogun, conspiring against his own people in order to secure them from Imperial reprisal. You overheard the Shogun's messenger reminding him of this - but evading the messenger, your master heard you, and gave the order to have you killed as a traitor.

You are loyal to Koroshima. You understand that his betrayal of you, and his betrayal of your people, are in service to the greater good of the province, and while you will not die for this secret, you will not risk Imperial retaliation against your homw by revealing it, either. So you must run.

Now, with a foreign war imminent, you are torn for the first time. In a way, desertion was your duty. But will the Elder of your people now send his warriors to die in losing battles if the Shogun wishes someone else to win? How can you truly serve the good of Koroshima now with any action you take?

Re: Cass - Rogue Akuryu.

[volving]

Checking in! No questions yet, I'll get back to you if I have them

Riddick - Master Swordsmith.

[powersthatare]

Nakamatou Swordsmith: this ascetic blacksmith and spiritualist forges truly superb blades, Imbuing the power of the wielder’s bloodline into the steel. Their skills and serenity make them a target: for commission of new blades or sale of old, for recruitment to a cause, or for assassination.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Forge Blade. Craft a superb bladed weapon that permits connection to its bearer’s ancestral or clan legacy. Usable every seven to ten days.

INFORMATION: The Sun Guard teach that technique is a light shed that reveals truth where it strikes. If that is so, then your blades are lanterns, and you do not wish to use them for the advantage of any one faction. What matters to you are the individuals, the purity of their motives, the strength of their family line. Each blade is its own story, whether long blade, short blade, dagger or swordbreaker or sai.

That is not to say you are not loyal to the province you protect. But if you shed light in the camps of the enemy, and they find truth, it will benefit your people, as the provinces are artificially turned against one another.

Convincing them to allow you to work for others; deciding between disobedience and duty, educating those who come to beg a blade of you so they know how to see that light - those are the hard parts. And if you find truth along the way that says one side holds justice and righteousness above the others, then you believe you will serve your people by serving those qualities - even if it means betrayal of your order. A fact you are unlikely to mention, unless asked in so many words.

[itsananimalthing]

All of this is excellent and so counter to Riddick's real life, I love it :: chinhands ::

Of note, I AM okay with somebody killing him off if plot suggests this is a likely/helpful/interesting course, I'd just like it to happen later on so he can get the chance being somebody this different for a while :D

[itsananimalthing]

Okay, I have a question... Riddick is apparently under the protection of the Shogun, but does he know this? Is there a reason for Hajime to not be allowed to kill him off, that Riddick himself would know, or is he entirely oblivious to the Shogun caring about his fate in particular?

Claudia - Master Tattooist.

[powersthatare]

Sun Guard Tattooist: this artist is a young prodigy with unanticipated skill in inking magic patterns onto skin, and is loath to unlock the potential in someone for the purpose of warfare. Their passion could easily become outrage if the blood of their found family in the Monastery is shed, however. Said loved ones are available for infiltrators.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Enchanted Tattoo. Give someone else a magical ability or increased skill or prowess by using ink to redirect their chi. Every advantage gained via tattoo, however, has a corresponding weakness, as the flow of chi to another region is redirected.

Information: a young idealist, you were raised among the Guard, brought to them as an orphan of civil war in another province. As passionately as you believe in the guard, you are equally passionate that the divisiveness of this conflict serves no-one, that you will no longer decorate anyone in the service of war - only true protection.

Quietly, you wonder if there is a better answer - unity, and rebellion. But who would believe such a thing is possible, or that it could succeed? All of you came here because you lost your wars. Is there anyone whose soul you can unlock, who could blossom into victory after so much cynical defeat?

For all your convictions, passion is very near your surface. When blood begins to be shed, if any you love are among those harmed, you may very well reconsider your convictions and dedicate yourself to Nakumatou's cause with the same vigor you now resist it.

[claudiometer]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww yis.

General note: I would rather Claudia NOT die in this clusterfuck unless it becomes clear that's what'll suit the story best. Certainly I'd want to put that off as long as possible.

Question: Where can one find more info on how this chi stuff works? I'm going to need it to do this thing right.

Matthew - Master Medium

[powersthatare]

Sun Guard Master Medium: teacher of all spirit summoners in the north, this aged sage spends as much time among the dead as the living, and sees little distinction between the two, unhesitatingly slaying others but possessing no fear of losing brothers to bloodshed. Their apprentices are available for infiltrators. EXCLUSIVE SKILL: No Distinction. Gather information from the recently deceased immediately, or the generations dead via ritual.


INFORMATION: Accounted the wisest of the Sun Guard Masters, you have been given command of this upcoming conflict, of all one-hundred-twenty Guard who are too old to be students and too young to be hermits. You will choose the course the Guard follows, but at your own pace, and without regard for casualties, so long as the Sun Guard itself survives to pass knowledge to the living. Once, you had hoped that your daughter would follow in your footsteps as Master Medium, but the spirits terrified her - a perspective you cannot understand and must see as a serious character flaw - and she fled. It was then that you began to see the concerns of the living as a distraction to your work, rather than half of a delicate balance, and now the grave is nothing to you but an office you will one day work from.

This outlook makes you abstract and in many ways brutal, caring nether for your students losing their lives, nor for taking the lives of others. You are only traveling to attend the summit between the provincial commanders in service to another purpose - war is certain, negotiation foolish. But the Dragons of the highest clouds and peaks are disturbed, and they say that they feel the presence of new Dragons, whose Element they cannot determine. Finding those Dragons, or other signs of their presence, is your true concern. For the moment, war can wait.

[comebewe]

Checking in here with Matthew! And oops, looks like he's managed to go and drive off a daughter there considering that I've talked before about how Matthew should not be given responsibility over small children this makes perfect sense

Will any of his students know what's going on with the Dragons, or his he keeping that to himself?

Rosalie - Incognito Ashigaru

[powersthatare]

Incognito Ashigaru: You want nothing to do with your own identity. You are the estranged daughter of the Master Medium of the Sun Guard, but unlike your father, you find the dead incredibly disturbing, and would prefer as much distance between you and your gifts as possible.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Spirit Binding. You may act as a conduit. A recently dead or otherwise empty body can be re-inhabited by a spirit - whether its own or another - and any wounds be elementally sealed (but not healed) with fire. This is a temporary measure if the body is not healed further, but can last several minutes to a few hours.

INFORMATION: Like your father, you see the dead. And they want something of you - to live again. But the dead are terrifying, and neither duty nor destiny can make you serve the spirits - you've always preferred Dragons and elemental beings. Once you understood the extent of your power, and before your father did, you ran off. But you could not escape to the mainland - the Bando is walled off - and you would be recognized too easily in Nakumatou. Go to Nakamiyo, and they'd make you a Mibugumi - and force you face to face with death on the battlefield. Catch a pirate ship, and you'd face much the same problem. But in Koroshima, in the village of Suzuki, you could become a sniper, with no questions asked about your past - and that, at least, puts you amdist the elementals of the mountains, the dragons of peaks and sky, and keeps the dead a hundred paces distant.

All you want is quiet, but you can't have it. The Suzuki rifles may soon be deployed as marines, if Koroshima wins the Shogun's favor, and all your problems would come back. And the dragons of peaks and sky are agitated by something - some new presence. You're morbidly certain that staying here among them alone will prove just as bad.

So, what do you do now? Who can help you escape yourself? You will do anything they ask, if they can save you from the dead.

[runawaystory]

Does Spirit Binding only apply to spirits of the dead, or to the other spirits in the world like elementals, etc.?

Where do the dead tend to congregate? As she's trying to avoid the dead, what kinds of locations would Rosalie try to avoid in order to do so?

I'd really like to work in an analog to Rosalie's demon arm, in the sense of her left arm being where her magic and so on are expressed. My initial thinking is something like a sleeve of tattoos of magical, spiritual, and/or cultural significance. Or possibly a mixture. Could I connect something like that to her spirit binding abilities? Or use it to give her some elemental fire powers (as an interaction with the spirit bindings being sealed by flames)? I'm also interested in hearing any suggestions the mod team might have for how to work this into her infiltrator persona.

Also, given that the extra resources section link to Japanese names only... Is it okay if I use a more wuxia/Chinese-inspired name for Rosalie? Even as just as assumed name or something.

(And this is my check-in, too. o/)

Melissa - Suzuki Captain.

[powersthatare]

Suzuki Captain: this peerless mountain ranger and sniper commands the small elite force, trading with pirates for necessary materials, moving through the woods with incredible swiftness, and horrified by how peaceful and simple they find it to kill. Still, duty to clan and village come before all.

EXCLUSIVE SKILL: Flawless Stride. Move at a sprint without regard to difficult terrain, and travel up to eighty miles per day on foot.

INFORMATION: born to a steppes farmer in southern Koroshima, brushfire conflicts with the Nakamiyo clans forced you deeper into the mountains, to the peasant village of Suzuki, where pirate-smuggled rifles promise anyone who can walk the mountains a means to defend themselves. You rose to command the Suzuki Rifles, the best shot of five dozen crack snipers, and by far the swiftest in snow, peaks, and trees. It is that existence you love, moving like a wolf through the passes, unafraid. And there is a joy in being the best at what you do -

And what you do, what you must do now for the protection of your people, to guarantee food in their mouths, safety for their children, is murder. You called together the provincial commanders to negotiate, but you know no-one will squander their hope of prosperity, and war is inevitable to earn the Shogun's trust. You cannot lose - but losing is not what horrifies you.

The real fear is the rush you feel, the smile that pulls at your lips, each time you raise your gun, sight, and fire another perfect shot that paints blood-flowers on the snow. In the moment, you are never horrified, you are eager. But the nights after - it haunts you, how easy it is to take life, how pleasant it is to win. May the gods save you from too many victories, because you already know that your resolve will never waver, and you will do what it takes to bring back the prize your villagers need to thrive.

Re: Melissa - Suzuki Captain.

[stopinthenameofawe]

Here! And a couple of questions:

For the calling of the provincial commanders together, has that already happened, or is it going to, or do I need to set that up? Is Melissa (i need to change her name) herself under anyone's command/is there a more political leader in the area that she answers to? ...I had another one but I can't remember it, I'll come back.