D1 EM - Clang, Clang, Clang

[Ryoshun Taiko]

It had been almost ten years since Taiko had set foot in Seidou lands and he'd changed a lot since those days. He was sure no one would recognize the boy he used to be, and so had no hesitation in heading towards the forges.

He knew he wouldn't be able to finish any of his projects before they moved on, but if this was the last real smithy he'd be able to work at, he would make the most of it.

Soon the familiar rhythmic sound of metal striking metal surrounded him as he pounded away at another spearhead.

[Taochusu]

Taochusu was in the courtyard and trying to help out with the organization of the expedition. He didn't really have a grasp of everything that was needed, but when he saw some cart wrights taking their time on putting together some spare wagon wheels he gave them a piece of their mind.

"Seriously guys, what are you doing? Every minute you waste is a potential problem down the line that isn't going to be handled," he says to the two men.

They laugh him off and go back to shooting the breeze with each other, while taking their time.

The big man steps up next to them. "Are you kidding me? My life will be on the line out there, sure. But so will your own people's lives..." he says with a snarling expression. He bends down and grabs a wagon wheel that is ready to be loaded, usually a job for a team of men. Hauling it into the air. "If something goes wrong with this equipment while we are on the road and people die because of it, I will come back here and drop a wagon wheel on both of you. You'll never walk again and you'll only have yourselves to blame for it. Got it?!"

With that, the men's eyes widen and they stop chatting and focus on their work as Taochusu stomps off to load the spare wagon wheel into one of the supply wagons. Muttering under his breath the whole way. "Asses."

After he loads up the last wagon wheel he heads over to the forge and approaches Taiko. "Anything I can do to help? Not a forge hand but I can move anything you need moved."

Packing for the Expedition, D1 EM, Commerce / Intelligence, TN 20: 2d10 13
Packing for the Expedition, D1 EM, Intimidation / Willpower, VP Phantom Rank, TN 20: 4d10o10k3 21

1 Provision point
-2 Reputation for Low Skill use

[Ryoshun Taiko]

Taiko looks up from his work...and up...and up.

"I bet you could." Taiko answers as he wipes the sweat from his bow with a leather gloved hand. "Names Taiko, Clan of the Bat." He introduces himself.

They still breed them big around here don't they. Best watch out or he might just jam that spear shaft up your arse and bake you over that forge for a second breakfast...

Taiko twitches slightly and looks back over his shoulder.

"Ermmm that anvil is much more sturdy than this one, but I couldn't bring it over here, where the light is better?"

[Taochusu]

"Taochusu, no clan or tribe. From further north," he says with a nod, turning to go to the other anvil. He lowers himself to get a good grip under the shoulder and heel, before standing up slowly. "Heavy chunk of metal," he says with a grunt as he slow steps it to a more well lit place where Taiko was working. Slowly, he lowers himself back down before placing it on the ground.

He takes a few deep breaths to bring his heart rate back down. "There you are."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

Taiko blinks at the strength of the man, he'd grown up among the Seidou, so feats of strength weren't completely lost on him but this fella easily put most of them to shame.

"I would've sworn that thing needed three men, a pulley and a donkey pulled cart to move, yet you just...so casually. Please tell me you're here for that expedition thing. I think we could use some strong warrior types like you."

[Taochusu]

"I didn't come here for it originally, got in two days ago to trade some furs I collected over the past 2 years. But when I heard about it, I figured I'd go further south than I'd ever been and see what it's like," he said with a nod.

His heart rate was still up a bit so he didn't want to do anything too strenuous again so soon. Though it would be difficult to tell from his expression.

"So, what is the clan of the Bat? Clan's a new word for me and I've only really learned anything about this Crab clan since being here. They apparently don't keep crabs as pets. Do you keep bats?"

[Ryoshun Taiko]

"What's in a name?" Taiko asked philosophically.

"I think the boss just likes Bats, seems all the big bosses that fell from the sky picked an animal, maybe they were their pets where they came from last?" Taiko quenches the weapon tip in a bucket of water, before moving over slightly to take advantage of the new tool Taochusu had provided. Although the voice in his ear kept plaguing his efforts.

No no, the angle's all wrong, you're gonna bend the tip like that. More wrist less strength.

But even her needling couldn't distract him today and his work spoke for itself.

Successful roll to create yari, Day 1 of 2

"All I've really learned so far, is it's a lot like a tribe. They just call 'em something different, seems a lot of them are smiths, like me. So I feel kinda more at home there."

[Taochusu]

He nods in understanding, moving the quenching bucket to a more convenient position for Taiko, careful not to spill it.

"Yeah, I could see that being better. Having folks around that understand your ways would certainly make things easier."

"So people really fell from the sky? I mean, I've seen burning lights in the sky before, but it wasn't 'til I got here that people told me about these... kami? I remember when I was younger a night when there were a bunch of them, but I just thought it had been a bad omen. Had no clue it was gods."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

"I didn't see it, but to hear it told; a bunch of em fell out of the sky wandered around for a bit then had a big fight to see who was in charge of this place. Dunno if us normal people got really consulted at all."

Putting his personal project to the side for a while, Taiko looks over a list of needed supplies for the mission. HE makes a few notes and adjustments before starting work on what he can to help outfit the expedition.

D1 Packing Commerce/Int 2 raises, VP TN30: 7d10o10k5+4 33

[Taochusu]

"Well, normal folks usually don't get a whole lot of choices. Usually just do what's good for the tribe. Until you don't have a tribe anymore at least," he says with a shrug.

"But even freedom to do what you want has it's price. Like always sleeping with one eye open and not knowing for sure when the next meal will be."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

As the hammer starts to ring its usual tune Taiko nods at the big man's wisdom.

"Takes a wise man to appreciate what he's got." The smith answers simply. "But from the looks of those plans, there'll be plenty of food. I brought my own backup stash though just to be sure."

[Taochusu]

"I've hunted my own food for most of my life, so I figure I'll probably just get my own during the expedition to ease the burden. If I need to I'll rely on stores, but no need to stress them more than necessary. I may eat a deer or three myself during the whole trip if it's around a month there and back," he says with a chuckle. "Size has it's benefits but it also comes with a big appetite."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

"Geez, they think it's going to be that long? I heard a few weeks each way. I suppose it's better to plan for the worst scenario anyway." Taiko wasn't normally the loquacious type, normally he'd buried his foot in the back of his throat by now, but this was simple honest conversation. Sometimes he missed that.

"How long you been solo for?"

[Taochusu]

He tries to do the math in his head, a few weeks, and a month and a... hell, he sucks at math. So he moves on.

"Since I was about your height? I remember my last new year celebration with my family was when I was 12 and my little brother was 10. By the next winter illness had killed off the entire tribe except for me and a cousin. The following summer a boar took my cousin. And now I make my own way. Tribes I visited took enough pity to let me trade furs but were too scared or untrusting to take me in so I've been on my own since then."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

"Well for the next few months. I guess we're all one big tribe, yeah? Looking out for each other? What's mine is yours Taochusu."

[Taochusu]

"I appreciate the sentiment," he says with a nod. "Though all I can really offer in return is some of what I hunt up and a beating to anyone or anything that puts us in danger. I can't use a hammer the way you can, but my hammer is bigger and I can use it well against limbs."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

Taiko gestures to his pair of swords with a nod of the head.

"I'm not defenseless, but I imagine my tactics on a battlefield may be slightly different, and the outcomes less effective than your own. This is a tool for creation. That is a tool for destruction. A snapshot of humanity of you will, we create with one hand while destroying with the other."

[Taochusu]

"Mostly I just create arrows and huts," he says with a nod. "And I try not to destroy too much. If you change the land enough then you end up altering the migration paths of herds. Easier to track them if you know where they're going to be from year to year."

[Ryoshun Taiko]

"It is supreme arrogance to think we can change much about this land's state of permanence. It was here long before we were, and will likely endure long after we are gone. There's talk of ruins in some forests that predate our tribes by unknowable lengths, partially reclaimed by nature and the wilderness."

"But there are some things that we should not meddle with too much, for convenience sake as you say."

[Taochusu]

"Well yeah, a field that isn't farmed will just go back to growing grass. But if you build a village in the middle of a migration trail then that can change the trail completely. The habits and ranges of animals are just as easily changed as the homes of people. Cut down a forest and the birds that nested there have no home."