Mother of Dragons, Queen of Monkeys (Saruko Q&A)

[Togashi Saruko]

It was fun sitting around the campfire sharing stories! Saruko was one of the couple folks that really helped Miyako in navigating a whole world of potential futures and developments and I enjoyed those conversations greatly.

Likewise, the scenes with Miyako were a great highlight point for me too. I think what I really enjoyed with their interactions was that while Miyako wasn't part of a clan yet, she still managed to get her concerns across well without resorting to insulting the Kami or those who followed the Kami (except a little dissing on Bayushi's followers, but Saruko is cool with that ), and she felt she could put a finger on what exactly it was that Miyako was worried about in the future.

So Miyako was perhaps the non-clan person she understood the best! And liked the best, hence the "btw, you're totes welcome at my place" invitation to join the Dragon, and the Saru specifically.

I greatly look forward to see where Miyako will go from here!

While Saruko was arguably one of our most court-focused and lore focused characters, and thus has less presence in combat scenes for obvious reasons, I really liked seeing her here, and that she was as important to several events as she was.

Phi was a good girl! Shinsei's kid's not going to be tainted! (whew. I was actually worried there a couple times). He's even going to have a face!

... I digress. I will say, however, that I am really looking forward to the Saru-family angles and their ties to Shinsei's line we've talked about. Nozomi won't be joining any families, as you might have guessed, but those two are definitely coming to visit and make plots and plans.

Did you have fun this time around? What's it like to play one of the courtly machines in a shadowlands event?

Ah yes, lore-focused... *stares at Intelligence 2 and a couple of ranks in Theology and Spirit Realms* I tried to play more that her understanding of the spirit realms were more out of experience rather than studying, as she's had the Medium advantage for most of her life and has been poking around in Chikushudo and Sakkaku for many years. Yume-Do is also a realm she knows well. She's snuck into Tengoku twice (the rascal). Meido isn't her favorite place as she generally doesn't feel comfortable around the dead, but it's certainly preferable to the other dead-places she's glimpsed. Jigoku isn't one she knows by direct experience, but rather that spirits she's encountered over the years would have warned her of it.

I didn't expect her courtier-ish focus to be as useful as it was, but I'm glad I could contribute more than just morale.

And yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with Nozomi, and Saruko will be one of the staunchest protectors of Shinsei's teachings while she's alive. I think Shinsei has Saruko as a more costly Ally than she does him.

I had a lot of fun, and I think that having fun in a game where you're a fish out of water relies a lot on managing your own expectations ahead of time. Which I did last time too with this character, as I decided to make her without any ronin school at all (none of the ronin schools fit, and I didn't want to make a shugenja). I invested a lot in arts and crafts supplies before the game, so I was ready to do random stuff and ideas that would spring to mind. And since she did have an understanding of what they were up against on a spiritual level, as well as having useful skills like Investigation, Hunting, Defense, Kenjutsu, Staves, and Stealth, she wasn't a complete dead-weight either for the expedition. Hence why she often spent time doing things like gathering resources in safer places, or quickly volunteered for night watch duties. She was totally ready to bring her 6k3 to attack and 5k2 to damage if any enemy got as far as breaking through the second line!

[Togashi Saruko]

So.

Sora has tasked Kinyoubi with never letting Saruko live down her little rumor-game at the expedition's outset.

What horrible Ayakashi vengeance awaits him for that?

Probably some harmless prank. Like messing with his dreams . But honestly, she thinks the rumor was a good idea and believes it's responsible for Sora getting Kinyobi's attention.

Good times, but the writing was on the wall even from Game 1, her relationship and closeness to Sora and basically most of what he abhors about that philosophy were probably going to form a wedge but the Bird sealed the deal it seems but even before that it felt that they were drifting apart.

Fun though.

The Bird certainly was the nail in the coffin there. She knows something is off about it, and while she believes it might be a trickster spirit of some sort, she's worried about its intentions considering when it appeared with Nanzi. Basically, she doubted almost everything they encountered after leaving Great Mountain City. Especially after the swamp.

It's a shame, but it happens that people grow a part. For her, in Dawn 1, Nanzi was an entertaining guy. A traveler with stories and grand tales is something she appriciates, but (this is her opinion IC) she feels that Nanzi has kind of lost himself in pursuit of power and prestige - that for him, the importance of being powerful and at the top of the pecking order is more important than whatever methods is applied in getting there. So, when Nanzi was talking about how the stories would portray her in the future, after they're all long gone, she became also more aware of that she did not want to be remembered like that herself because it's not who she is. And she'd want her followers to remember who she truly was to really understand why she set down her teachings and philosophy the way she did.

It certainly makes for interesting dynamics in the future.

[Togashi Saruko]

Will she ever shape change into a monkey or something?

Not that I know of? Maybe! It could maybe happen, but after this game, Saruko will fade into NPCdom anyway, so if she discovers such powers from her Saru ancestry, that's up to the GMs (there's still an unresolved storyline there from Dawn 1 that will be fitted into the timeline after this game).

[Togashi Saruko]

And since we're here at the end now, I'll share my sheet like Jin did!

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Togashi Saruko, formerly Shirayuki of the Ayakashi

Tribe: Ayakashi (+1 Awareness)
Clan: Dragon
Family: Saru, Togashi
School: None

Reputation: 3.5
Insight: 147
Status: 7.0
Glory: 9.0

RINGS
EARTH 2
- Stamina 2
- Willpower 2

WATER 2
- Strength 2
- Perception 3

FIRE 3
- Agility 3
- Intelligence 3

AIR 2
- Reflexes 2
- Awareness 4

VOID 3

SKILLS
Animal Handling 1
Courtier 1
Defense 3
Etiquette 2
Hunting 1
Investigation 2
Kenjutsu 3
Lore: Spirit Realms 1
Lore: Theology 1
Meditation 2
Perform: Dance 2
Perform: Song 2
Perform: Storytelling 3
Sincerity 2
Sleight of Hand 1
Staves 1
Stealth 2
Temptation 1
Tea Ceremony 1

ADVANTAGES
Ally: Shinsei (1 Influence/ 1 Devotion) [Earned in game]
- You have a close friendship. Your ally would go out of his way to help you, but not risk his honor.

Blissful Betrothal [Social] (3) [Earned in game/end of game for marrying Togashi]
- You have come to truly love your spouse. The match provides you with social connections, and allow you to purchase the following Advantages for two points less (to a minimum of 1 point): Gentry, Kharmic Tie (Togashi only), Social Position, and Wealth.

Clear Thinker [Mental] (3)
- You possess a sharp mind and keen powers of perception, making it very difficult for others to decieve you. Whenever you make a Contested Roll against someone who is attempting to confuse or manipulate you in any way, you gain a bonus of +1k0 to the total of your roll.

Enlightened [Spiritual] (5 for Dragon, +2 after creation)
- Your spiritual journey toward complete harmony with the universe as a whole has begun to reach its destination. In addition to whatever storyline effects your GM may choose to bestow on you, you also find it easier to enhance your connection to the Void. When you are using Experience Points to increase your Void Ring, the total cost is decreased by 2 points each time.

Great Destiny [Spiritual] (5 points)
- The kharmic cycle has some great purpose in store for you, and the Celestial Order will conspire to keep you alive, no matter what, until your destiny can be fulfilled. Once per session, when you would suffer Wounds that would kill you, you are reduced to a single Wound remaining instead. This will only happen once per session, as there are limits to the extent that the Heavens will intervene in mortal affairs.

Medium [Spiritual] (4 points)
- You have a strong connection with the Spirit Realms beyond your own. Though you may not physically travel to the other Realms, you may project your spirit into them by entering deep concentration. Your spiritual projection is malleable, and whenever you encounter other spirits while in this state they will treat you as one of their own unless you choose to reveal your status as outsider to them.

Seven Fortunes' Blessing: Benten [Spiritual] (4 points)
- The Fortune of Romantic Love has showered you with her blessings. Whenever you are attempting to persuade someone, regardless of the circumstances, you gain a bonus of +0k1 to the total of the Social Skill roll in question. This only applies to persuasion, not coercion.

Soul of Artistry: Artisan [Mental] (4 points) [Earned in game]
- Any time you would be required to make an Unskilled Roll using an Artisan Skill, you are considered to have 1 rank in that Skill.

Touch of the Spirit Realms: Sakkaku [Spiritual] (4 points for Ayakashi]
- Gain a bonus of +1k1 on Sincerity (Deceit) rolls.

Touch of the Spirit Realms: Tengoku [Spiritual] (5 points) [Earned in game]
- You gain a bonus of +2k0 on Earth Ring rolls to resist the Shadowlands Taint.

Voice [Physical] (3 points)
- You have a voice that others find pleasing in virtually every respect. Gain +1k1 on any erform Skill roll that utilizes your voice, such as Perform: Singing or Perform: Oratory.

Wealthy [Material] (1 points)
- 2 additional "koku".


DISADVANTAGES (10)
Haunted [Spiritual] (3 points)
- Haunted by a saru-ancestor or possibly one that is even still alive, who pokes in from time to time to butt into your business. -1k1 to one roll once per session.

Permanent Wound [Physical] (4 points)
- The cold of winter and the journey through the Spirit Realms weakened you. First Wound rank is always considered full.

True Love: Togashi [Mental] (3 points)
- You truly love your spouse. Whenever you are in a position where you must choose between love and duty, you must spend a Void Point before you can choose your duty over your love.

Wrath of the Kami: Fire [Spiritual] (3 points)
- The icy grip of winter never really left, making you vulnerable to the ferocious fire kami. Fire spells cast against you confer one Free Raise on the Spell Casting Roll.


TECHNIQUES:
None

SPECIAL:
Lotus Flower Tattoo: "The lotus flower represents purity and enlightenment. It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower’s first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment. The second meaning, which is related to the first is purification. It resembles the purifying of the spirit which is born into murkiness. The third meaning refers to faithfulness. Those who are working to rise above the muddy waters will need to be faithful followers. The color bears importance for the nature of the lotus flower. A red lotus, such as this tattoo, refers to compassion and love."
This Tattoo functions identically to the Crane Tattoo in the Corebook.
When you activate this tattoo, you gain a number of bonus dice equal to your School Rank plus your Air Ring. These dice may be spent on any Social Skill Rolls. Each die contributes a bonus of +1k0. If these bonus dice are not used within an hour, they are lost. You may not add more bonus dice to a single roll than your Void Ring. This tattoo is considered active the entire hour, and if another tattoo is activated, any unspent dice from this tattoo are lost.