Character Ideas and Stories

Set up a 5e The Sparrow Clan Ring Increase: +1 Air Skill Increase: +1 Performance Status: 25 During the Yasuki War, The Crane's most trusted advisors gathered to discuss a peace offering to the Crab. As the clan champion, Doji Minobu, initiated the discussion of the clan's claim on the peninsula’s shipping rights, Doji Suzume spoke up. A flippant remark innocently meant to break the tense silence would cement the Sparrow into the history of the Emerald Empire.

“Maybe the world would be a better place if samurai gave their wealth to the peasants and let them rule.’ Suzume Quipped.

Mizobu, still suffering from the rebellion of the Yasuki, was determined to forestall yet another challenge to his power. Some had claimed that Suzume’s father Onegano had his son make the remark as a brilliant political ploy to take over the clan. Others still believed that Onegano and his son had gained enlightenment and had begun to spread the word of humble poverty.

Mizobu’s immense political power forced the Emperor to settle the rebellious matters by brokering peace between Crab and Crane. Both would give up lands of equal size to a new Clan, the Sparrow. Charged with guarding the Golden Sun Plains from banditry and illegal farming, Doji Onegano was named Clan Champion. The Sparrow were formed by those who agreed with the joke his son made. Horrified at the circumstances, Onegano immediately retired to brotherhood and left the hapless Suzume in charge. With the aid of his aunt Masako, Suzume and his followers began a life of humble poverty and survived the saltmarsh and barren hills that are the Suzume Hills.

Suzume Family Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Void Skill Increases: +1 Theology, +1 Labor Glory: 34 Starting Wealth: 3 Koku Seven hundred years of subsistence farming has done nothing to dull the love of the arts the Sparrow share with their Crane forebears. The harsh weather of the Suzume Hills destroys most tangible forms of artwork leaving spoken word as a Sparrow’s source of aesthetic pursuit. This leads to their reputation as a clan of garrulous gibbering gabbers. Sparrows have been known to talk at great length about any subject that comes to mind much to the horror of the listener. Their theological devotion to humble poverty garners disdain from the great clans who view them as barely different from the farmers they marry. The wise however do not disparage a Sparrow openly as they are as formidable with the blade as any Crane. Forsaking perfection for pragmatism, a Suzume duelist epitomizes patience and timing.

Suzume Storyteller +1 fire/ +1 water

Bushi Courtier Artisan

Sparrow, Three Man Alliance, Yoritomo’s Alliance, Minor Clan Alliance, and Crane.

To the Sparrow clan a good story is all the wealth one needs in the world. With blade, sickle, sling, and spade the Suzume Storyteller defends and feeds his people. Storytellers still have the natural charm and wit of their Crane cousins paired with patient and formidable sword technique.

Starting Skills pick 5

Scholar Skills Courtesy Labor Martial Arts Melee Meditation Performance Sentiment

Staring Honor: 50

Techniques Available: Kata, Rituals, Shuji

Starting Techniques Iaijutsu Cut Raising Blade All in Jest

Starting Outfit: Traveling Clothes, Daisho, Sling, and Traveling pack

Suzume’s Modest Jest. When making a Performance or Courtesy check you may keep additional ring dice for each rolled opportunity. However the GM may also roll a skill die on an opportunity the audience receives the approach of the opposite element[Earth and Air Fire and Water Void is GMs choice.

Curriculum Rank 1 Martial Skills Courtesy Labor Theology Rank 1 Kata Iajutsu Cut: Crossing Cut Striking as fire Rank 2 Artisan Skills Courtesy Labor Martial Arts Ranged Rank 1-2 Kata Tea Ceremony Iajutsu Cut:Sword and Sheath Rank3 Martial Skills Games Labor Sentiment Rank1-3 Earth Shuji Eb and Flow Ritual : Ash for the Farm Rank 4 Social Skills Labor Performance Tactics Rank 1-4 kata Iajustu Cut: Reverse Draw Pillar of Calm Rank 5 Scholar Skills Composition Meditation Performance Rank 1-5 Void Shuji Void Embrace Style Rouse the Soul

Mastery Technique: Mukashino The true way of the Sparrow is to go to where the audience awaits. Once per scene make Performance/Roll against your target’s vigilance if successful you immediately enter close range to begin a conversation with the target increasing their social TNs by 1.

Ritual: Ash for the Farm The early years of the Sparrow would have been vastly different if it were not for Suzume’s aunt, Doji Masako, having grown disillusioned with the Crane’s pursuit of wealth and power she joined her nephew to start anew. Her wisdom and Suzume’s enthusiastic charm helped form the philosophy of the clan. Most Importantly she brought agricultural knowledge and the use of coal and ash to stabilize the Hills’ poor soil conditions. This ritual takes the arts too fragile to survive the Hill’s weather turning it into life saving ash

Working on the light motifs for my l5r campaign

https://youtu.be/rE3jKTs5ZQ8

https://youtu.be/ipgvfoAXxso

https://youtu.be/ZrVDWcd3brA

This is an attempt at taking the mask of the red death and bending it to Legend of the Five Rings. I tried using hanakotoba to work for the rooms. A slight twist of both Maho and the Skoki dogu spirits are put in in place of the disease. The secondary theme is of love and betrayal as each of the premade PCS were designed to represent various kinds of love. Any PCs not chosen become npcs ran by me. On of the Red death

Year 580

22nd day of the Serpent

The esteemed estate of Otomo Kōun'na near the Tangu river in the Takuetsu province.

Characters

Otomo Kōun'na: Elderly imperial antiquarian, blackmailer, and explorer looking to live forever in exchange for a couple of souls. NPC

Hanako: Tsukai who's taken over Yogo Hanako's form for access to Kōun'na's wife and child in exchange for promised eternal youth NPC.

Otomo Minako favoured "niece" and document reader for Kōun'na. NPC

Shakoki Dogu: Cute little guys who just want to help.

Tsu Fish: Are they the Rokugani snipe bird and/or eldritch abomination out to destroy the world? They real answer may surprise you.

Suzume Kyoshiro: Kōun'na's political protégé, lover, and surrogate father to Kōun'na's son.

Seppun Yoshitora: Kōun'na's illegitimate son and head of his household bodyguards.

Otomo Murasaki: Yogo agent sent to check in on her twin Hanako who is spying on Kōun'na in guise of a midwife .

Otomo Aoko: Wife and expectant mother who dreams of running away to the Suzume hills with Kyoshiro to live a peaceful dream of a life.

Doji Shiroiko: Rising Star of the Ikebana world and inheritor of her father's enviable and cruel patronage of Kōun'na's tyrannical eye.

Ikoma Kiro A simple historian tasked with recording the life of Kōun'na.

Estate Room Order:

First room southwest: Birth (blue) forget me not. Second room west: Youth (purple) iris. Third room northwest corner: adolescence (green) ambrosia. Fourth room northeast corner: Adulthood (orange) lily. Fifth room east: Old age (white) camellia. Sixth room southeast corner: Imminent death (violet) violets. Central Garden (black and red) camellia. Raised above the small branch of the Tangu river in the Crane province Tsuma lies the Esteemed Estate of Otomo Kōun'na. In the warming spring morning this branch of the river remains a peaceful babbling brook that moves through the estate unhindered by man's touch. The guards at the gate stand impassive as you move into the waiting chambers where you are greeted by Kōun'na's Yojimbo, Niece, and Wife.

(PCs enter and begin formal greetings, Aoko and Yoshitora are together in the entrance along with Minako to greet the remaining four.)

Otomo Minako rises from her bowed states and moves to guide you to the west,

"Otomo Sama wished you to see the estate before he welcomes you to this most joyous occasion. If you would but follow me."

(Upon entering each room the players can make perception rolls to spot the small shakoki dogu figures peeking about in the flower arrangements. Each room has a door that accesses the garden and outer guest houses but is 45 to spot unless open or in the garden itself.)

The first room springs to life in your eyes as sumi-e paintings of cranes stand perfectly placed above delicately arrangements of bluebells giving the room the appearance of the Tangu river just to the north estate. As one gazes about you cannot help but notice the carefully placed antiquities from the days of Rokugan's birth. Guarding the entrance to the north is an ancient suit of bronze armor bearing the mon of the Utaku.

As you enter the room to the north the sweet smell of fresh irises takes to you as you glimpse gorgeously arranged kites all around you flying high above the flowers. The irises, august in their gold and jade kintsugi pots, are perfectly arranged next to doll courts dedicated to the Hantei line. The first Hantei and his siblings take the highest position at the north seem to gaze south at a Kirin kite representing Shinjo as she leaves to explore the world.

The room before you narrows as the shrines of a thousand fortunes line the walls each with their own small white pot holding a single ambrosia. Each shrine is lovingly tended and the incense burning is oddly not overpowering the ambrosia that gives the room the glow of jade's purity. The seven fortunes guard the north wall all in their benign aspect welcoming you to this most humble and pious of rooms. (Perception check in this room also reveals that Konohama’s ambrosia bloom is larger and when viewed the light laughter of a small girl can be heard.)

As you journey to the east through the long hallway the room brightens in the glow of orange lilies carefully placed under the treatises, titles, and gifts associated with Kōun'na's greatest political victories. Accolades from both the fourteenth and fifteenth Hantei catch your eye as you stroll through the room. The victim share in the glory of the victor as each courtier is given their due in the tales as they are written.

Serenity and contemplation embrace you in this simple reading room. Several small reading cushions align themselves in a perfect octagon around go boards who await the return of their players. Currently the silent spectators of these grand games are white camellias who bare gentle witness to games weeks, days, or decades old.

Just as the first room sprung to life in the beginning of the walk through Kōun'na's esteemed household this room seems to leave a contemplative relaxing end. Violets adorn the room with a tall highly polished mirror that rests at the south side of the room. Standing the height of a man and made of pure gold in it you can see every aspect of the room from its opposing angle.

The spring daylight shines in as a now visible doorway reveals the entrance to the central garden. The river gurgles lightly as it bisects the perfectly manicured garden. Pristine white sand circles encapsulate four stone idols at their feet. Most notably these figures feature primitive round eyes that seem to squint in the daylight. The occasional splash of the Tsu fish as they begin their springtime migration to their spawning grounds. Bridges connect a small tea area connecting to a small seating are where upon sits your gracious host enjoying a nice cup of tea. As he rises to his feet with the help of a cane he greets you.

(After etiquette and proper bowing.)

"Ah my brave spring guests I am so glad to see you have made it to this most auspicious occasion. As you can well see my son and heir should be born within these portentous days. Now having traveled as long as you have I would be a most terrible host if I did not grant you the chance to relax. The servants will show you to your housing and help you with anything you need. Please return here at the hour of the monkey and we shall enjoy a great and wonderful feast in my honour."

He bows once more and returns to his teatime meditations.

(Players get to do whatever till the next scene at the appointed time. The garden is closed off to all.)

As you return to the garden the afternoon sun warms the day through the clear sky. Unmoving upon the bridge lies two bodies resting in the sun. Otomo Minako screams at the sight and runs for the entrance.

(Who dunnit? Who's next? The players decide!)