Topic: Winter is Coming [L5R]

[Muse]

How many shugenja do we have now?  I could provide some muscle instead.  Of course, my shugenja girl is pretty good with her Yari. 

[Wraith]

I think there's only one shugenja so far, the one kckolbe made. So yours would make two. Other than that, we have two Bushi, one Investigator and now an Artisan. Oh and maybe a Monk.

[kckolbe]

Muse, I was definitely hoping to have a second shugenja, especially a water one, as mine is currently kinda meh.  If you want to do a shugenja that focuses more on support to make her better in combat that is fine, but I definitely think she will shine more as shugenja than bushi.

[Muse]

:)  Okay, I'll put up what I have on her so far--still got a lot to do on the 20 questions, but I want to give people an idea of what I'm workign on. 

[kckolbe]

Also, Pumpkin said you were originally interested in Air, not Water as I'd thought.  If you still want to go with Air I can change my character's affinity to something else, even Earth so we don't overlap as much.  Hope that helps.

[Wraith]

BraveEarth, I notice you haven't added me to the list of players in the first post. Is there something I've forgotten to do?

[BraveEarth]

Your character's History.

[Wraith]

Right! Sorry. On its way.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

                                                                                                                       

Makes the Dragon Breathe

Nobody knows where the child came from that summer night.  No sentries could attest to seeing a figure move along the mountainous path to the temple and no local villages reported missing babes from the few women ready to give birth.  The monk who found the baby saw no note or message to accompany the child.  Only a bundle of green cloth was found wrapped around the infant, meant to ward off the night cold and keep her safe from the elements.  The girl made no sound on the floor of the monastery.  Indeed the monk says if a gust of wind had not displaced a lantern, he might well have walked past the infant or stepped on her during his rounds.  Strong hands lifted the girl upward to be seen in the firelight and only then did she let her cry be heard.

The monks had no place for an infant.  So remote and cut from the world, they did not know how best to handle a girl so young.  A shugenja was brought in to speak rites over the girl.  Spirits were consulted and magic cast to determine the origins of the girl.  None could give answers save for noticing the infant’s guardian close at hand.  The ancestor spirit of Agasha Kitsuki stood watch over the girl as she struggled with tasks as mundane as kicking off her blankets.  Vigilant and present, the spirit was linked to her.  The monks could not ignore her place within the Dragon Clan, but no family would step forward to lay claim.  None would take the burden of the child’s care unto themselves except for the Togashi who held a reputation for taking in the disavowed youth. 

Before she was to be taken off to the Togashi monastery, a monk stepped forward to lay claim.  A retired samurai of the Kitsuki, he could not stand aside and watch the chosen of his ancestor moved outside of the family.  A grand daughter had given birth recently in his family and so he petitioned them to foster the child until the temple could care for her properly.  For a time then the baby that would be known at Kitsuki Tomo had a normal life.  She would feed as babies do and sleep as well.  Though never would she play like the other children.  Games meant little to her as she only sat and watched others play them.  No amount of enticement or bullying could cajole her to participate.  The infant would only watch and even as a child she played the part of observer.

Most interesting was that she knew the rules.  The girl could recite each rule of the games played, even when the games were newly made with children’s enthusiasm.  Often times the children would turn to her for judgment on the rules as she only watched, only observed them at play.  Those that practiced foul play would attempt to bully her, to push her into the mud or take her few toys.  Still she would speak her truth and pronounce the winner and loser of each contest.  Even at such a young age her foster family saw her need for truth and knew the guiding hand of Kitsuki was upon her.  When time came for her to return to the temple, all knew that her path was set for the ranks of the investigator.  Some cheered her while other pitied her.  Truth was never an easy road to follow.

The monastery offered a life more pleasant to her.  Structured and established, her teacher was the old monk that had sent her to his family.  The man had been an investigator during his youth.  Truth had shamed him into retirement, but he had been a great voice for reason and logic.  Techniques were shown to her, puzzles given over for her to learn while she grew to womanhood in the temple.  Many times her instructor would set a scene for her to learn from, send her out into the mountains to return with a list of what she saw.  Never was she to disturb the scene, only to observe and report.  Always did she come back with her list and rarely was she sent back for more.

[Muse]

Shinjo Tsukiko – Iuchi Shugena / Rank 2

Description / Background







   Shinjo Akane is a courtier more renowned for her theatrical abilities than for accomplishing her clans goals.  (She prefers it that way.)  She is wed to Utaku Kyuske—a bushi trained as infantry but with a gift for horses.  They have three daughters, 19 year old Tsukiko and twin girls ten years her junior. 
   Tsukiko is a martially skilled shugenja, gifted with a variety of spears and spells.  She has defended her people against bandits, bakemono, and hungry dead. 

Insight:   157

3   Earth  (3 Stamina  / 3 Willpower )
3   Water  (3 Strength  / 3 Perception )
3   Fire   (3 Agility  / 3 Intelligence )
3   Air   (3 Reflexes  / 3 Awareness )
2   Void

Current Void: 2

Initiative: 5k2? 

TN to be hit: 15

Wounds: Current -
Healthy (+0): 15
Nicked (+3): 6
Grazed (+5): 6
Hurt (+10): 6
Injured (+15): 6
Crippled (+20): 6
Down (+40): 6
Out : 6

Skills:
Skill (Emphasis): Rank – Attribute
Acting 1 - Awareness
Athletics 1 - Strength
*Battle:  3 - Perception
*Calligraphy (Cipher):  3 – Intelegence
Courtier:  1 - Awareness
Etiquette:  1 - Awareness
*Horsemanship:  3 -
Investigation:  1 – Perception
Lore: History: 1 - Intelligence
*Lore: Theology:  3 - Intelligence
*Meditation:  3 - Void
*Spears (Yari):  3 - Agility
*Spellcraft: 3 - Intelligence

School Techniques / Spells: 
Affinity:  Water
Deficiency; Fire
Technique: Spirit of the Wind – The Iuchi harness the power of the elements to grant the waves’ speed to others. As a Complex Action, you may sacrifice one spell slot of any element to grant one target individual an additional Simple Move Action. This Simple Action is in addition to the target’s normal Actions per Round. The additional Action must be used on the target’s next Turn or it is lost. You also gain a Free Raise on any spell with the Travel keyword.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

SENSE
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: 50’ radius from the caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Range (+10’)
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster to sense the presence, quantity, and rough location of elemental spirits (not the evil spirits known as kansen) of that element within the range of the spell.  This is most frequently applied when looking for spirits with which to Commune (see below), but can also be useful as a crude, basic location device. For example, a caster lost in the wilderness could cast Sense (Water) in hopes of locating a source of drinking water.

SUMMON
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: 30’
Area of Effect: 1 cubic foot of summoned material
Duration: Permanent
Raises: Range (+10’), quantity (+1 cubic foot), composition of material (1-4 Raises, as outlined below)
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster to summon a modest quantity (one cubic foot) of the chosen element. The summoned matter appears (usually in a rough ball shape) in any open space within the spell’s range. This cannot place the summoned material inside another physical object or living creature. The summoned element will behave in a normal and mundane matter – earth falls to the ground, water soaks anything it lands on, air blows away, and fire winks out unless there is something present for it to burn. In general it is impossible to use this spell effectively in combat, although clever shugenja may find a few modest combat uses, such as using Summon (Fire) to ignite a foe soaked in cooking oil. More commonly, the spell’s value is in simpler functions, such as summoning Water while in a desert, or summoning Fire to light a campfire without flint and tinder.  Raises may be used with this spell to summon a more specific type of the appropriate element, such as wood or iron with Earth, or tea with Water. The GM should choose how many Raises (generally anywhere from 1 to 4) this requires. However, these Raises cannot be used to create rare/precious materials (such as gold) or spiritually powerful substances (such as jade or crystal).   

COMMUNE
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: 20’
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: Concentration
Raises: See below
This spell can be cast in any element save Void. It allows the caster to speak with one of the local elemental kami, asking it a few questions, which it will answer honestly to the best of its ability. Typically this spell will invoke the most active and energetic spirit of the chosen element in the area of effect; if all of the local spirits are quiescent, the GM may require the caster to call 1 or 2 Raises to “wake up” a local spirit enough to answer questions. 
A spirit reached with Commune will answer two questions. The caster may
Raise to get more questions (one per Raise). The caster may also Raise for clarity, to get a more accurate and informative answer to the questions. (Kami are notorious for their inability to fully comprehend human behavior, and asking questions without Raises for clarity can often result in confusing, enigmatic, or incomplete answers.) Spirits do not forget anything, so theoretically a shugenja can ask a spirit about something that happened decades ago; however, they also do not experience time in the same way as mortals, so trying to ask about something from long ago will usually require Raises in order to make the caster’s wishes clear to the spirit. The nature of the information which spirits can impart varies by element:
Air spirits tend to be playful and easily distracted, conveying information as emotions or as riddles and jokes. Since they are more interested in feelings than in facts, and enjoy playing games with those who speak with them, communing with an Air spirit can sometimes be very frustrating.

Earth spirits are straightforward and matter-of-fact, often blunt, but are also often rather uninterested in the behavior of mortals, have a poor understanding of human emotion, and tend to be overly focused on obscure details such as the color of a piece of clothing or the weight of a horse. 

Fire spirits are irritable and temperamental, and are often angry at being summoned unless they are propitiated with an offering of something to burn. On the other hand, if a shugenja can please them they tend to offer the clearest and most accurate information.

Water spirits communicate their knowledge through soundless visual images. This can be very helpful to a shugenja trying to investigate a past incident, but since the spirits cannot convey scent, sound, or emotion, the information they provide can often be incomplete or misleading. 

BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
Ring/Mastery: Air 1
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: 20’ radius around the caster
Duration: 1 minute
Raises: Area (+5’ radius), Duration (+1 minute)
You call upon the kami to reveal that which has been hidden. All concealed objects within the area of effect appear as slightly luminous outlines to you. Any non-magical concealment is revealed, including secret compartments, trap doors, concealed weapons, etc. Only you can see the presence of these objects.

CLOAK OF NIGHT
Ring/Mastery: Air 1 (Illusion)
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One object
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+1 hour)
You can call upon the kami to wrap an object in their embrace, hiding it from the sight of mortal beings. You may target any one non-living object smaller than you. This object becomes invisible to the naked eye. Attempts to perceive it magically will automatically succeed if the Mastery Level of the spell used is higher than that of this spell. Spells of equal Mastery Level require a Contested Air Roll to detect the hidden object. The object is still physically present and can be touched, smelled, or sensed with any normal sense other than vision.

LEGACY OF KAZE-NO-KAMI
Ring/Mastery: Air 1 (Craft)
Range: School Rank x 10 miles
Area of Effect: One known individual within range
Duration: Special
Raises: Area (+1 individual), Range (+10 miles)
You are able to call upon the spirits of the wind to take form as a bird and carry a message for you. The bird that is created by this spell appears perfectly normal in all regards, but if it takes any damage it dissipates into wind immediately, ending the spell. Upon creating the bird, you may speak to it, giving it a spoken message of up to one minute in length. The bird will then fl y away to deliver the message to the person (or persons) specified when the spell is cast. The bird will fl y to their location, deliver the message via a whisper (it can be overheard by others, but not easily), and then disappear. If the bird is unable to reach the individual, but they are within range (if they are within a building with no windows, for instance) it will remain outside waiting for up to one week before disappearing. If the person specifi ed by the spell is not within range, the bird will fl y away in a random direction and disappear when it is out of your line of sight. 

JADE STRIKE
Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 (Jade, Thunder)
Range: 100’
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Damage (+1k0), Range (+10’), Targets (+1 target, maximum of 5 total targets)
This spell summons forth the purest of Earth kami, those of jade, in the form of a blast of iridescent green energy. The jade power flies out and unerringly strikes the chosen target – it cannot be intercepted or deflected, although Magic Resistance or other forms of magical defense can thwart it.  If the target has at least one Rank of Taint, the Jade Strike will inflict damage with a DR of 3k3, burning and blackening the Tainted flesh. However, a target who does not have at least a full Rank of Taint will not suffer any damage from the spell. Casting Jade Strike on a non-Tainted target is generally regarded as a grave insult – except perhaps among the more paranoid ranks of the Kuni family, where it is seen as merely a sensible precaution. 

JUROJIN’S BALM
Ring/Mastery: Earth 1
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+1/2 hour), Targets (+1 per 2 Raises, maximum of 5 total targets)
This spell fills the target’s body with the purity and vigor of Earth, driving out poisons and impurities. If the target suffers the effects of any poison or toxin within the duration of the spell, or is already under the effects of a poison when the spell targets him, he may re-roll any failed Stamina roll to resist the poison, with a bonus of +2k0 to the second roll. (However, if the second roll is also failed, the poison has full effect.) An interesting side-effect of this spell is that it also cures drunkenness and other such effects, and it is impossible for the target to become intoxicated during the spell’s duration. 

BE THE MOUNTAIN
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Defense)
Range: 30’
Area of Effect: One target creature
Duration: 4 rounds
Raises: Duration (+1 Round)
A variant of the spell Armor of Earth, designed to protect allies, this prayer causes the Earth kami to envelop the target with their embrace, covering his skin with a stony barrier that repels physical blows. The target gains Reduction of a value equal to 5x the caster’s School Rank, to a maximum of 20, but cannot take Simple Move Actions for the duration of the spell (Free Move Actions are still allowed). Only a willing ally can be targeted with this spell.

EARTH BECOMES SKY
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Jade, Thunder)
Range: 100’   
Area of Effect: One target creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Damage (+1k0), Targets (+1 target), Special (make boulders Jade with 2 Raises)
This spell summons up several huge boulders from the earth, and hurls them through the air to unerringly strike one (or more) target creatures. The target struck by these boulders suffers damage with a DR equal to the caster’s Earth rank. If the caster strikes multiple targets, the DR is reduced by 1k1 for each additional target, to a minimum of 1k1 damage per target. These boulders are made of normal, mundane stone, and thus cannot normally bypass Reduction or Invulnerability, but a powerful caster can infuse the boulders with the power of Jade.

EMBRACE OF KENRO-JI-JIN
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Travel)
Range: Personal or Touch
Area of Effect: One target creature
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+1/2 hour) 
This spell allows the target (who can be the caster or one other person) to literally dive into the ground, which becomes as clear and easy to traverse as water for him. He can see for a distance of 100 yards through the earth, and can move through it in any direction as easily as though he were in normal air. The target can see through the edge of the earth into the normal world, but he cannot attack, cast spells, speak, hear, or otherwise interact with those outside the earth unless he emerges from the ground (at which point the spell immediately ends). If the spell ends while the target is still underground, the Earth spirits are offended by the target’s continued presence, and immediately expel him into the nearest open air, wherever that might be. 

HANDS OF CLAY
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Travel)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: 10 minutes
Raises: Duration (+5 minutes)
This spell infuses Earth spirits into the hands and feet of the caster, allowing them to merge with the Earth found in wood, earth, and stone. This allows the caster to walk and climb along sheer surfaces, including walls and cliffs, at half his normal movement speed (rounded up). He can even hang from ceilings and move along them, although in that case he can only move 3’ with a Simple Action. When the spell ends, the effect concludes without warning, possibly leading to a painful fall.



FURY OF OSANO-WO
Ring/Mastery: Fire 1 (Thunder)
Range: 300’
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Damage (+1k0 per two Raises)
This spell is actually a prayer to the Fortune of Fire and Thunder, inviting his wrath upon your enemy. It can only be cast outdoors, and summons a bolt of lightning from the sky, striking the target for 5k2 Wounds. Everyone within 10’ of the target must make a Stamina roll versus a TN of 15 to avoid being deafened for 2 Rounds. If this spell is cast during a thunderstorm, the damage is increased to 6k2 for a moderate storm and 6k3 for a disastrous storm or hurricane.

PATH TO INNER PEACE
Ring/Mastery: Water 1
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target individual
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: None
The water kami can influence the flow of water through the body, dramatically hastening the natural healing process. You can use this spell to heal Wounds that another individual has suffered. This spell restores a number of Wounds to the target equal to the amount by which the Spell Casting Roll exceeded the spell’s TN to cast.

THE RUSHING WAVE
Ring/Mastery: Water 1 (Travel)
Range: 10’
Area of Effect: One target individual
Duration: 1 round
Raises: Duration (+1 round), Range (+5’)
You can temporarily increase the speed of your target. This spell allows the target to make a Free Move Action of up his Water Ring x 10’ (instead of the normal x 5’). Without Raises for Duration, this benefit must be used on the target’s next Turn or it is lost.

SPEED OF THE WATERFALL
Ring/Mastery: Water 1 (Travel)
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target individual or creature
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+10 minutes), Range (may increase to 10’ for two Raises)
Those filled with the essence of water find their movement far faster than ever before. The target of this spell may move a total distance per round equal to their Water x 20’ plus an amount equal to twice your Water Ring. This spell does not grant the target additional movement, it simply increases the maximum possible amount they can move during a Round for the duration of the spell.

SPIRIT OF THE WATER
Ring/Mastery: Water 1 (Battle)
Range: 20’
Area of Effect: One target individual
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Range (+5’), Special (Increase additional action to Complex for 5 Raises)
The spirit of water is both fluid and rapid. The target gains one additional Simple Action during the Reactions Stage of the Round in which this spell is completed. This Action cannot be used to make an attack.


CLOAK OF THE MIYA
Ring/Mastery: Water 2 (Defense)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Raises: Duration (+1 round)
You wrap yourself in the protective embrace of the wave. Your Armor TN is increased by an amount equal to your Water Ring plus your School Rank for the duration of this spell.

INARI’S BLESSING
Ring/Mastery: Water 2 (Craft)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Created sustenance
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Special (Enough food for one additional person per Raise)
Inari is the Fortune of Rice, and one of the most beloved of all divine entities throughout the Empire. This spell invokes Inari’s blessing, and creates nourishing food and drink at your command. This spell generates enough food and drink to sustain a number of individuals equal to your School Rank +1 for one day. Without Raises, this food is bland but sustaining, such as unflavored rice and water, but with Raises, you can increase the quality of the food to seafood or tea at the GM’s discretion. The TN to cast this spell is doubled when in the
Shadowlands.

WISDOM & CLARITY
Ring/Mastery: Water 2
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+30 minutes), Targets (may target another with 2 Raises)
By entreating the insight of the Water kami, a shugenja may dramatically increase his ability to perceive the world around him. For the duration of this spell, your reading speed doubles, and you will have perfect recall of everything read while under the influence of this spell. This spell does not enhance comprehension, however, so any language or cipher you are not familiar with is still completely indecipherable.

Advantages:
Benten’s Blessing
Large
Touch of Yume-Do

Disadvantages:
Idealistic
Lechery
Overconfident

Heritage

Equipment:
Lance: 
--Attack Roll:  6k3
--Damage Roll:  7k4
--Shatters upon inflicting 30 +damage. 
Wakasashi: 
--Attack Roll:   3k3
--Damage Roll:   5k2
Yari: 
--Attack Roll:  6k3
--Damage Roll:  6k2

Calligraphy Set
Elaborate Clothing
Traveling Pack
10 Koku

Honour: 5.5
Glory: 1
Status: 1
Taint:  0

XP Spent: 119

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

1. WHAT CLAN DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
The Unicorn

2. WHAT FAMILY DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
   The Shinjo (Her father is Utaku.) 

3. IS YOUR CHARACTER A BUSHI, A SHUGENJA, OR A COURTIER?
   Shugenja

4. HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER’S APPEARANCE?
   “What an alluring barbarian.  Smooth skin, fine features, seductive eyes, long, ink black eyelashes, whimsical garb.  I thought I might spend some time with her ‘til I got close.  Then I realized she was three inches taller than I!”  --Crane clan courtier. 

5. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S PRIMARY MOTIVATION?
   Though dutiful and compassionate, life is an adventure to Tsukiko, best lived for its own enjoyment. 

6. WHO IS THE PERSON YOUR CHARACTER TRUSTS MOST IN THE WORLD?
   Tsukiko’s cousin Utaku Hikari is her morale guidepost, reminding of her duty and honor when the dreamy shugenja might float away on a breeze of adventure or abandon her quest to protect farm folk from petty bandits. 


7. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS?
   Strengths:  Tsukiko’s spirit is unquenchable.  Hope springs eternal in her. 
   Weaknesses:  Like many dreamers, Tsukiko is flighty and romantic. 


8. WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK OF BUSHIDO?
   A true unicorn, Tsukiko values compassion above all other tenants. 

9. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S OPINION OF HIS CLAN?
   Though not a fanatic, Tsukiko has yet to realize any true corruption in her clan. 

10. IS YOUR CHARACTER MARRIED?
   Tsukiko’s parents are embroiled in some negotiations, but they’ve yet to find her an appropriate suitor.  (There’s some disagreement among the extended family.  The otaku want her back in the bloodline.) 

11. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?
   Tsukiko judges most people by how they act when she meets them.  She does have a romanticized view of the villainy of the scorpion and the hubris of the Lion. 

12. TO WHOM DOES YOUR CHARACTER OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?
   Though a dutiful girl, when the chips are down she trusts her own sense of right and wrong. 


13. WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER’S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
   Racing across the planes into the setting sun.  Staring at the stars in cool of night, seeing within while seeing without.  The mytic history of the land regaled by her sensei.  Seeing new places and meeting new people.  Testing herself in battle against true evil. Her horse Dreamwind and her pet monkey Even.   
   She dislikes people who pride themselves on ignorance and reject what’s different on general principle. 

14. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?


15. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER’S EMOTIONS?
   Tsukiko values stoicisim, but usually is more free with quite emotions than is strictly fashionable.  She might smile in public, though she would rarely grin. 
   Anger and sorrow prompted by compassion, on the other hand, she barely tries to contain at all.  She might cry soundlessly for a stranger’s suffering or clench her fists in rage ‘til they shake. 

16. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE A SUBORDINATE’S IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?


17. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER’S PARENTS DESCRIBE HIM?


18. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S HIGHEST AMBITION?
Too travel Rokugan and beyond, seeing all she can see and learning all she can learn. 

19. HOW RELIGIOUS IS YOUR CHARACTER?
   Other clans find her rather personable relationship with the Kami improper.  She enjoys ritual but is just as likely to carry on a one sided conversation with the kami or passions as the spirit moves her. 

20. HOW WILL YOUR CHARACTER DIE?
   Battling to defend a stranger. 

[Katina Tarask]

Okay, got a chance to hammer things out with Pumpkin.  Now, to actually find time to finish my character...

[BigBuckBob]

Code: [Select]

Togashi Hanku
Clan: Dragon
School: Togashi Monk Rank 2
         Body of Stone: +1k1 to unarmed attack and damage
Kata: Striking as Fire
         Add fire ring to one attack per round.
Kiho: Body is an Anvil
        Anyone I touch or touches me suffer wounds equal to fire ring.
Unarmed attacks:8k4
                 4k3

Void 3
Fire 4
agility-4
inteligence-4
Air 3
reflex-3
awareness-3
Earth 2
stamina-2
willpower-2
Water 2
strength-2
perception-2

Dragon tattoo:
The head comes up to the mouth activates a fire cone
- dr 4k4 / take damage equal to fire ring each use
His chest is covered in intricate scale pattern, when activated it shields him.
- Reduction 5xinsight/ no simple movements [taken from ve the mountain]


athetics-3
defense-3
craft: tattoo -2
jiujutsu-3
meditation-3
lore: history-3
tea ceremony-3

robes, bo, pack, 5 koku

clear thinker
balance
Hands of Stone

cant lie
ascetic
disturbing countenance

Glory: 0 XP Spent: Yes
Honor: 4.5 Insight: 150



Travelling pack contains:

Code: [Select]

weeks rations,simple tea set, tattoo needles

The twenty Questions:

Code: [Select]

Questions:
1. Dragon
2. Togashi
3. monk
4. Medium build, bald, dragon tattoo on face
http://images.epilogue.net/users/bamartin/Togashi_Shintaro.jpg
5.Searching for enlightenment
6. He is the person he trusts the most. Followed shortly by others who acknowledge the danger of Maya. Not from a lack of trust of others, but because he knows his own experiences and can reflect on his own knowledge without fear of worldly corruption.
7. His intelligence is both a strength and a weakness. He seeks knowledge wherever he can, but he is drawn into it and misses out on the world around him. This is more deliberate than people realize, the senses paint an illusion of perception, reflecting helps him to peel back the veil.
8. Due to a philosophical outlook on Bushido, he most identifies with courage. He respects and questions all aspects, but in his quest for enlightenment he does not fear death and acts accordingly.
9. He is proud to be a dragon. The dragon encourage independence, and the search for enlightenment is a personal thing so there is a need to indulge in selfish quests.
10. He remains unattached, wishing to explore the world in full. He is not opposed to relationships but realizes all things must end, so he does not attempt to make them last and does not make long term commitments.
11. In the rare event that he runs in to an individual that he can not find any redeeming qualities in, he will judge him unfit. But only the individual, never a group, nor a family nor a clan based on the actions of a single person.
12. He is loyal to those who earn it. And should they fail to act reasonably, he will take his loyalty back. He knows his clan history and knows that loyalty can be a burden, so he does not cling to it and guards it well.
13. A quiet spot with a good view delights him. There is one spot in particular near his home where he felt he could see all of Rokugan and it resonated with him more then any ritual or meditation ever had.
14. He makes a habit of waking early and meditating, making himself at one with his surroundings. If possible, by climbing the nearest tall object and looking out on the horizon.
15. He is not afraid to show emotion, but more often when he feels anything he looks within to uncover the the root of it. He is quite introspective.
16. He is forgiving of mistakes and believes in second chances.
17. His parents would describe him as quiet, smart, and dedicated. They would pointedly not comment on his etiquette or charisma.
18. His highest ambition is enlightenment, but he would never call it ambition.
19. He honors the kami and his ancestors. As a Togashi he knows well the importance both played in his clans history and in where he is in life today. It is that honor that drives him to seek knowledge and enlightenment.
20. He will transcend into the next life, if he is lucky. More likely he will find his end while still in pursuit of the answers to life. Perhaps so caught up in the beauty under the sea that he does not rise in time to catch his breath, or unintentionally dishonoring a duelist and falling at his sword.



Code: [Select]


His history is particularly boring looking from the outside in. He studied and contemplated and from an early age was more concerned with enlightenment than any other facet of life. However, the search did lead him to experience many things. He experienced food, at the home of a crane noble and in a 'mad' Moto's tent. He experience music, going so far as to attempt and fail at playing one himself. He walked with eta, talked to them as equals, gained insight. And he took the ritual of the ise zume, receiving a single tattoo with a dual purpose. And he will continue to experience life, because that is how he best feels he can learn life.


[kckolbe]

Muse, I was not expecting a large woman, but hats off to ya.  You managed to create something about as cringe-worthy to the Crane as you could while making sure they pretty much have to accept her.  I'm not sure if our characters have a ton in common or are opposites.  Either way it should be an interesting dynamic.  I particularly like that she is better at Air spells than my character is.  Oh well, at least he can rock a tea ceremony. 

[Muse]

*Grins*  Thank you, KC, I'm quite proud of her.  I hope she'll do well, and I look forewards to gaming beside you all. 

Um...  I need to trim a LOT of spells.  Any advise?

[kckolbe]

Hmm, this is metagaming a bit but I already have Kaze-no-Kami.  Spirit of the Water seems kinda useless seeing as how she can't get the 5 raises yet.  Cloak of the Miya is probably trashable since you already have a lot of Water spells and an Earth spell that offers protection.  Earth Becomes Sky, Jade Strike, and Fury of Osano-Wo are all attack spells.  I would get rid of one or two of them, probably Earth Becomes Sky.  After all, she mainly does damage with her spear, right?

[Muse]

Shinjo Tsukiko – Iuchi Shugena / Rank 2

Description / Background







   Shinjo Akane is a courtier more renowned for her theatrical abilities than for accomplishing her clans goals.  (She prefers it that way.)  She is wed to Utaku Kyuske—a bushi trained as infantry but with a gift for horses.  They have three daughters, 19 year old Tsukiko and twin girls ten years her junior. 
   Tsukiko is a martially skilled shugenja, gifted with a variety of spears and spells.  She has defended her people against bandits, bakemono, and hungry dead. 

Insight:      167

3   Earth   (3 Stamina  / 3 Willpower )
3   Water   (3 Strength  / 3 Perception )
3   Fire   (3 Agility  / 3 Intelligence )
3   Air   (3 Reflexes  / 3 Awareness )
2   Void

Current Void:   2

Initiative:   5k3?

TN to be hit:   15

Wounds: Current -
Healthy (+0):    15
Nicked (+3):    6
Grazed (+5):   6
Hurt (+10):    6
Injured (+15):    6
Crippled (+20):    6
Down (+40):    6
Out :       6

Skills:
Skill (Emphasis): Rank – Attribute
Acting 1 - Awareness
Athletics 1 - Strength
*Battle:  3 - Perception
*Calligraphy (Cipher):  3 – Intelegence
Courtier:  1 - Awareness
Etiquette:  1 - Awareness
*Horsemanship:  3 -
Investigation:  1 – Perception
Lore: History: 1 - Intelligence
*Lore: Theology:  3 - Intelligence
*Meditation:  3 - Void
*Spears (Yari):  3 - Agility
*Spellcraft: 3 - Intelligence

School Techniques / Spells: 
Affinity:  Water
Deficiency; Fire
Technique: Spirit of the Wind – The Iuchi harness the power of the elements to grant the waves’ speed to others. As a Complex Action, you may sacrifice one spell slot of any element to grant one target individual an additional Simple Move Action. This Simple Action is in addition to the target’s normal Actions per Round. The additional Action must be used on the target’s next Turn or it is lost. You also gain a Free Raise on any spell with the Travel keyword.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

SENSE
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: 50’ radius from the caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Range (+10’)
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster to sense the presence, quantity, and rough location of elemental spirits (not the evil spirits known as kansen) of that element within the range of the spell.  This is most frequently applied when looking for spirits with which to Commune (see below), but can also be useful as a crude, basic location device. For example, a caster lost in the wilderness could cast Sense (Water) in hopes of locating a source of drinking water.

SUMMON
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: 30’
Area of Effect: 1 cubic foot of summoned material
Duration: Permanent
Raises: Range (+10’), quantity (+1 cubic foot), composition of material (1-4 Raises, as outlined below)
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster to summon a modest quantity (one cubic foot) of the chosen element. The summoned matter appears (usually in a rough ball shape) in any open space within the spell’s range. This cannot place the summoned material inside another physical object or living creature. The summoned element will behave in a normal and mundane matter – earth falls to the ground, water soaks anything it lands on, air blows away, and fire winks out unless there is something present for it to burn. In general it is impossible to use this spell effectively in combat, although clever shugenja may find a few modest combat uses, such as using Summon (Fire) to ignite a foe soaked in cooking oil. More commonly, the spell’s value is in simpler functions, such as summoning Water while in a desert, or summoning Fire to light a campfire without flint and tinder.  Raises may be used with this spell to summon a more specific type of the appropriate element, such as wood or iron with Earth, or tea with Water. The GM should choose how many Raises (generally anywhere from 1 to 4) this requires. However, these Raises cannot be used to create rare/precious materials (such as gold) or spiritually powerful substances (such as jade or crystal).   

COMMUNE
Ring/Mastery: All 1
Range: 20’
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: Concentration
Raises: See below
This spell can be cast in any element save Void. It allows the caster to speak with one of the local elemental kami, asking it a few questions, which it will answer honestly to the best of its ability. Typically this spell will invoke the most active and energetic spirit of the chosen element in the area of effect; if all of the local spirits are quiescent, the GM may require the caster to call 1 or 2 Raises to “wake up” a local spirit enough to answer questions. 
A spirit reached with Commune will answer two questions. The caster may
Raise to get more questions (one per Raise). The caster may also Raise for clarity, to get a more accurate and informative answer to the questions. (Kami are notorious for their inability to fully comprehend human behavior, and asking questions without Raises for clarity can often result in confusing, enigmatic, or incomplete answers.) Spirits do not forget anything, so theoretically a shugenja can ask a spirit about something that happened decades ago; however, they also do not experience time in the same way as mortals, so trying to ask about something from long ago will usually require Raises in order to make the caster’s wishes clear to the spirit. The nature of the information which spirits can impart varies by element:
Air spirits tend to be playful and easily distracted, conveying information as emotions or as riddles and jokes. Since they are more interested in feelings than in facts, and enjoy playing games with those who speak with them, communing with an Air spirit can sometimes be very frustrating.

Earth spirits are straightforward and matter-of-fact, often blunt, but are also often rather uninterested in the behavior of mortals, have a poor understanding of human emotion, and tend to be overly focused on obscure details such as the color of a piece of clothing or the weight of a horse. 

Fire spirits are irritable and temperamental, and are often angry at being summoned unless they are propitiated with an offering of something to burn. On the other hand, if a shugenja can please them they tend to offer the clearest and most accurate information.

Water spirits communicate their knowledge through soundless visual images. This can be very helpful to a shugenja trying to investigate a past incident, but since the spirits cannot convey scent, sound, or emotion, the information they provide can often be incomplete or misleading. 

BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
Ring/Mastery: Air 1
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: 20’ radius around the caster
Duration: 1 minute
Raises: Area (+5’ radius), Duration (+1 minute)
You call upon the kami to reveal that which has been hidden. All concealed objects within the area of effect appear as slightly luminous outlines to you. Any non-magical concealment is revealed, including secret compartments, trap doors, concealed weapons, etc. Only you can see the presence of these objects.

LEGACY OF KAZE-NO-KAMI
Ring/Mastery: Air 1 (Craft)
Range: School Rank x 10 miles
Area of Effect: One known individual within range
Duration: Special
Raises: Area (+1 individual), Range (+10 miles)
You are able to call upon the spirits of the wind to take form as a bird and carry a message for you. The bird that is created by this spell appears perfectly normal in all regards, but if it takes any damage it dissipates into wind immediately, ending the spell. Upon creating the bird, you may speak to it, giving it a spoken message of up to one minute in length. The bird will then fl y away to deliver the message to the person (or persons) specified when the spell is cast. The bird will fl y to their location, deliver the message via a whisper (it can be overheard by others, but not easily), and then disappear. If the bird is unable to reach the individual, but they are within range (if they are within a building with no windows, for instance) it will remain outside waiting for up to one week before disappearing. If the person specifi ed by the spell is not within range, the bird will fl y away in a random direction and disappear when it is out of your line of sight. 

JADE STRIKE
Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 (Jade, Thunder)
Range: 100’
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Damage (+1k0), Range (+10’), Targets (+1 target, maximum of 5 total targets)
This spell summons forth the purest of Earth kami, those of jade, in the form of a blast of iridescent green energy. The jade power flies out and unerringly strikes the chosen target – it cannot be intercepted or deflected, although Magic Resistance or other forms of magical defense can thwart it.  If the target has at least one Rank of Taint, the Jade Strike will inflict damage with a DR of 3k3, burning and blackening the Tainted flesh. However, a target who does not have at least a full Rank of Taint will not suffer any damage from the spell. Casting Jade Strike on a non-Tainted target is generally regarded as a grave insult – except perhaps among the more paranoid ranks of the Kuni family, where it is seen as merely a sensible precaution. 


EMBRACE OF KENRO-JI-JIN
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Travel)
Range: Personal or Touch
Area of Effect: One target creature
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+1/2 hour) 
This spell allows the target (who can be the caster or one other person) to literally dive into the ground, which becomes as clear and easy to traverse as water for him. He can see for a distance of 100 yards through the earth, and can move through it in any direction as easily as though he were in normal air. The target can see through the edge of the earth into the normal world, but he cannot attack, cast spells, speak, hear, or otherwise interact with those outside the earth unless he emerges from the ground (at which point the spell immediately ends). If the spell ends while the target is still underground, the Earth spirits are offended by the target’s continued presence, and immediately expel him into the nearest open air, wherever that might be. 

HANDS OF CLAY
Ring/Mastery: Earth 2 (Travel)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: 10 minutes
Raises: Duration (+5 minutes)
This spell infuses Earth spirits into the hands and feet of the caster, allowing them to merge with the Earth found in wood, earth, and stone. This allows the caster to walk and climb along sheer surfaces, including walls and cliffs, at half his normal movement speed (rounded up). He can even hang from ceilings and move along them, although in that case he can only move 3’ with a Simple Action. When the spell ends, the effect concludes without warning, possibly leading to a painful fall.

FURY OF OSANO-WO
Ring/Mastery: Fire 1 (Thunder)
Range: 300’
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Damage (+1k0 per two Raises)
This spell is actually a prayer to the Fortune of Fire and Thunder, inviting his wrath upon your enemy. It can only be cast outdoors, and summons a bolt of lightning from the sky, striking the target for 5k2 Wounds. Everyone within 10’ of the target must make a Stamina roll versus a TN of 15 to avoid being deafened for 2 Rounds. If this spell is cast during a thunderstorm, the damage is increased to 6k2 for a moderate storm and 6k3 for a disastrous storm or hurricane.

PATH TO INNER PEACE
Ring/Mastery: Water 1
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target individual
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: None
The water kami can influence the flow of water through the body, dramatically hastening the natural healing process. You can use this spell to heal Wounds that another individual has suffered. This spell restores a number of Wounds to the target equal to the amount by which the Spell Casting Roll exceeded the spell’s TN to cast.

THE RUSHING WAVE
Ring/Mastery: Water 1 (Travel)
Range: 10’
Area of Effect: One target individual
Duration: 1 round
Raises: Duration (+1 round), Range (+5’)
You can temporarily increase the speed of your target. This spell allows the target to make a Free Move Action of up his Water Ring x 10’ (instead of the normal x 5’). Without Raises for Duration, this benefit must be used on the target’s next Turn or it is lost.

SPEED OF THE WATERFALL
Ring/Mastery: Water 1 (Travel)
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target individual or creature
Duration: 1 hour
Raises: Duration (+10 minutes), Range (may increase to 10’ for two Raises)
Those filled with the essence of water find their movement far faster than ever before. The target of this spell may move a total distance per round equal to their Water x 20’ plus an amount equal to twice your Water Ring. This spell does not grant the target additional movement, it simply increases the maximum possible amount they can move during a Round for the duration of the spell.

CLOAK OF THE MIYA
Ring/Mastery: Water 2 (Defense)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: 5 rounds
Raises: Duration (+1 round)
You wrap yourself in the protective embrace of the wave. Your Armor TN is increased by an amount equal to your Water Ring plus your School Rank for the duration of this spell.

INARI’S BLESSING
Ring/Mastery: Water 2 (Craft)
Range: Personal
Area of Effect: Created sustenance
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Special (Enough food for one additional person per Raise)
Inari is the Fortune of Rice, and one of the most beloved of all divine entities throughout the Empire. This spell invokes Inari’s blessing, and creates nourishing food and drink at your command. This spell generates enough food and drink to sustain a number of individuals equal to your School Rank +1 for one day. Without Raises, this food is bland but sustaining, such as unflavored rice and water, but with Raises, you can increase the quality of the food to seafood or tea at the GM’s discretion. The TN to cast this spell is doubled when in the Shadowlands.

Advantages:
Benten’s Blessing
Large
Touch of Yume-Do

Disadvantages:
Idealistic
Lechery
Overconfident

Heritage

Equipment:
Lance: 
--Attack Roll:  6k3
--Damage Roll:  7k4
--Shatters upon inflicting 30 +damage. 
Wakasashi: 
--Attack Roll:   3k3
--Damage Roll:   5k2
Yari: 
--Attack Roll:  6k3
--Damage Roll:  6k2

Calligraphy Set
Elaborate Clothing
Traveling Pack
5 Koku

Honour: 5.5
Glory: 1
Status: 1
Taint:  0

XP Spent: 119

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

1. WHAT CLAN DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
The Unicorn

2. WHAT FAMILY DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
   The Shinjo (Her father is Utaku.) 

3. IS YOUR CHARACTER A BUSHI, A SHUGENJA, OR A COURTIER?
   Shugenja

4. HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER’S APPEARANCE?
   “What an alluring barbarian.  Smooth skin, fine features, seductive eyes, long, ink black eyelashes, whimsical garb.  I thought I might spend some time with her ‘til I got close.  Then I realized she was three inches taller than I!”  --Crane clan courtier. 

5. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S PRIMARY MOTIVATION?
   Though dutiful and compassionate, life is an adventure to Tsukiko, best lived for its own enjoyment. 

6. WHO IS THE PERSON YOUR CHARACTER TRUSTS MOST IN THE WORLD?
   Tsukiko’s cousin Utaku Hikari is her morale guidepost, reminding of her duty and honor when the dreamy shugenja might float away on a breeze of adventure or abandon her quest to protect farm folk from petty bandits. 


7. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS?
   Strengths:  Tsukiko’s spirit is unquenchable.  Hope springs eternal in her. 
   Weaknesses:  Like many dreamers, Tsukiko is flighty and romantic. 


8. WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK OF BUSHIDO?
   A true unicorn, Tsukiko values compassion above all other tenants. 

9. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S OPINION OF HIS CLAN?
   Though not a fanatic, Tsukiko has yet to realize any true corruption in her clan. 

10. IS YOUR CHARACTER MARRIED?
   Tsukiko’s parents are embroiled in some negotiations, but they’ve yet to find her an appropriate suitor.  (There’s some disagreement among the extended family.  The otaku want her back in the bloodline.) 

11. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?
   Tsukiko judges most people by how they act when she meets them.  She does have a romanticized view of the villainy of the scorpion and the hubris of the Lion. 

12. TO WHOM DOES YOUR CHARACTER OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?
   Though a dutiful girl, when the chips are down she trusts her own sense of right and wrong. 


13. WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER’S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
   Racing across the planes into the setting sun.  Staring at the stars in cool of night, seeing within while seeing without.  The mytic history of the land regaled by her sensei.  Seeing new places and meeting new people.  Testing herself in battle against true evil. Her horse Dreamwind and her pet monkey Even.   
   She dislikes people who pride themselves on ignorance and reject what’s different on general principle. 

14. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?


15. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER’S EMOTIONS?
   Tsukiko values stoicisim, but usually is more free with quite emotions than is strictly fashionable.  She might smile in public, though she would rarely grin. 
   Anger and sorrow prompted by compassion, on the other hand, she barely tries to contain at all.  She might cry soundlessly for a stranger’s suffering or clench her fists in rage ‘til they shake. 

16. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE A SUBORDINATE’S IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?


17. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER’S PARENTS DESCRIBE HIM?


18. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S HIGHEST AMBITION?
Too travel Rokugan and beyond, seeing all she can see and learning all she can learn. 

19. HOW RELIGIOUS IS YOUR CHARACTER?
   Other clans find her rather personable relationship with the Kami improper.  She enjoys ritual but is just as likely to carry on a one sided conversation with the kami or passions as the spirit moves her. 

20. HOW WILL YOUR CHARACTER DIE?
   Battling to defend a stranger. 

[BraveEarth]

Just a four day check in to see if everyone is still interested. And to say Muse, -5 Koku for the Yari >.> But yay for you for spending money. ^^;;

[Muse]

  Done. 

  And I still owe you a story for why I got those two Earth spells. 

[BraveEarth]

That you do.

[kckolbe]

Still around.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

:: waves:: still here

[BigBuckBob]

Still here, working on my history.

[Chris Brady]

Imma waitin', Imma waitin'!

[Katina Tarask]

Tsi Chigiri - Tsi Smith 2

Description / Background

Insight: 167

Earth 2 (Stamina 2 / Willpower 2)
Water 2 (Strength 2 / Perception 2)
Fire 2 (Agility 2 / Intelligence 3)
Air 3 (Reflexes 3 / Awareness 4)
Void 3

Current Void: 3/3


Initiative:
5k3

TN to be hit:
20


Wounds: Current -
Healthy (+0): 10
Nicked (+3): 14
Grazed (+5): 18
Hurt (+10): 22
Injured (+15): 26
Crippled (+20): 30
Down (+40): 34
Out : 38

Skills:
Artisan: Painting*/Awareness 2
Calligraphy/Intelligence 1
Commerce*/Intelligence 3
Courtier/Awareness 3
Craft: Weapon*/Intelligence 5
Defense*/Reflex 1
Etiquette*/Awareness (Apologies) 5
Games/Go 1
Games/Shogi 1
Investigation/Perception 1
Kenjutsu*/Agility 1
Lore: Art/Intelligence 4
Lore: Craft/Intelligence 4
Lore: History/Intelligence 2
Lore: Materials/Intelligence 3
Medicine/Intelligence 1
Sincerity/Awareness 3

School Techniques:
Tools of the Fortunes: All Craft skills are school skills.  +1 Glory on successful Craft, +1 for every margin of 5 by which you beat the TN.  Minimum Craft TN of 10+SRx5

Tsi Xing Guo's Blessing: +2k1 from Void when using own creations. 

Advantages:
Prodigy
Benten's Blessing
Soul of Artistry: Craft
Soul of Artistry: Artisan

Disadvantages:
Lechery
True Love: Kitsuki Tomo
Weakness: Strength

Equipment:
Sensible Clothing, Wakizashi, Calligraphy Set, 3 koku

Honour: 4.5
Glory: 1.0
Status: 1.0
Taint: 0.0

XP Spent: 150

1. WHAT CLAN DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
Oriole Clan

2. WHAT FAMILY DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?
Tsi family.

3. IS YOUR CHARACTER A BUSHI, A SHUGENJA, OR A COURTIER?
Courtier (Artisan).

4. HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER’S APPEARANCE?


5. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S PRIMARY MOTIVATION?
To serve Kitsuki Tomo, and see the world in exchange.  She's the one who gave her freedom, to a degree, and it's a debt not easily forgotten.

6. WHO IS THE PERSON YOUR CHARACTER TRUSTS MOST IN THE WORLD?
Kitsuki Tomo.  Unfortunately.  She cut most ties with her family and made quite a few enemies when she left her life to follow her, so most of the people she once trusted, she can't anymore.  Which leaves Tomo.

7. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS?
Chigiri is a woman of grace, impeccable breeding (by minor clan standards) and exceptional artistic talent.  Until recently, her works were afforded value and popularity far beyond there merit, earning considerable wealth for the clan, but she left that behind to fulfill a promise.  Though a capable craftswoman and businesswoman, she is, unfortunately, not the most adept at taking care of herself, as her life has left her rather frail and naive.

8. WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK OF BUSHIDO?
The code is, by and large, a thing of value, which one should nominally aspire to, if only to prevent social calamity, though Chigiri does not hold nearly so much personal investment in it as most.

9. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S OPINION OF HER CLAN?
Although she has immense respect for her clan's history and works, she finds that the modern Oriole (or at least her little corner of it) has become too unsatisfied with their station, too obsessed with their pursuit of wealth, fame, and status.

10. IS YOUR CHARACTER MARRIED?
Technically, Chigiri is betrothed, even if she can't be married.  Her late father, Tsi Teishu, was a dear friend of the late Kitsuki Naisochi.  Unlike most Tsi, Teishu was an exceptional warrior and aided the Dragon many a time.  In their final battle, they defeated a mighty band of thieves, but both received mortal wounds in return.  On their death beds, they swore that their unborn children were to be wed.  Unfortunately, the bandits had allies, who came and were believed to have purged Naisochi from this world.

In memory of an honored friend, the Oriole's daimyo approved this last wish, even though it was already believed void with the death of the child.  However, the Tsi later learned that the Dragon's pregnant wife, Hitanko, had managed to make her way to a monastery soon after giving birth.  She'd left the child there to be safe, and left, to die in the woods from her wounds.

Unwilling to betray a friend's final wish, the engagement stood, even if it can never be fulfilled.

11. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?
Chigiri always offers the Dragon great deference and favor as the Oriole's patron and guardian clan, but otherwise, most of Chigiri's experience with other clans is a matter of business, and money spends well no matter who it comes from.  The Mantis are more wont to haggle, and far better at it, so she prefers dealing with them as little as possible, particularly after having some hot gold passed along to her once, followed closely in suspicion by the Scorpion.  Meanwhile, she considers the Crab rather foolish; they tend to either offer an excessively generous price or unforgivably miserly one, and refuse to budge.  But for the most part, cash flows just as well no matter whose hand it comes from.

12. TO WHOM DOES YOUR CHARACTER OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?
Currently, her direct superior is Kitsuki Tomo.  Being unable to fulfill the vow between them properly, honor demands that she take it upon herself to protect and serve Tomo-sama until such time as she can fulfill it.  Or they die of old age.  Either way.

13. WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER’S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
Despite being quite good at it, Chigiri hates business.  The peddling of wares, the manufacture of goods for petty wealth, they grate as if she were bartering off pieces of her soul.  Art is greater than the merely material.

Meanwhile, she has a great love of travel, of seeing new things and meeting new people.  A taste she can now indulge in.

14. DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?
As an artist in nearly every field, Chigiri is as interested in taking the measure of objects as she is in taking the measure of people.  She's likely to pay as much attention to a samurai's daisho or kimono or even sandals as to the samurai herself, opting to assess the craftsmanship and try to puzzle out their origins, sometimes to the point where she looks slightly surprised when she notices the human bearing the goods.

15. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER’S EMOTIONS?
Curiosity, above all.  She can hide many things, but never her voracious mind, and Chigiri is wont to show naked joy at learning new things.

16. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE A SUBORDINATE’S IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?
With her previous artificially inflated status, finding help to her standards was a simple matter, and even when the help fell short, she could easily dismiss the offender from her service and send them to a lesser craftsman, replacing the subordinate instead of dealing with the matter.  This, of course, is not a luxury she has anymore.

17. HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER’S PARENTS DESCRIBE HER?
Once, her mother would have described her with glowing pride.  Now, she tries not to describe her at all, as her daughter's life is now a constant reminder of her late husband's final days and the deaths of many friends.  They communicate little these days, but in truth, she is prouder of her daughter now than ever before.

18. WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S HIGHEST AMBITION?
Chigiri has learned not to aspire, and wishes little for herself beyond what she has achieved, instead wishing success for her mistress Tomo-sama.  She has tasted wealth and prestige and it was naught but drudgery and sorrow, and instead wishes to serve one of her choosing, and hopefully to have the chance to truly spread joy with her art.

19. HOW RELIGIOUS IS YOUR CHARACTER?
Though she is likely to offer little more than lip service and the minimum socially acceptable level of respect to the spiritual, she has been known to offer sincere prayers requesting guidance from her ancestors in times of need.

20. HOW WILL YOUR CHARACTER DIE?
Of old age at a monastery having spent her day teaching children how to hold a brush, whilst Tomo has spent her day not a hundred feet away teaching a general a few things he never knew about playing shogi.  Or maybe she's just an optimist who forgets her place.

[BraveEarth]

Okay guys... I've held my tongue for a bit too long... I put the sheets in the code tag so that you could easily highlight and copy them, Please edit your sheets so it's just regular, especially if you put a code in the code like Katina did and the code doesn't work.