IDE EVENT: Welcome Dinner (D1, Early Evening)

[Mindshred]

The Ide have prepared a large welcoming feast for Unicorn and Rokugani alike. The tables are stacked with food both traditional and more exotic, showcasing a variety of foods from within the Empire and beyond its borders. Tea, sake, sochu, and a fermented milk drink called kumis are all available to guests, as are a variety of meats, breads, vegetables, and sweets.

Servants move between the tables, refilling drinks and bringing out new plates of food as necessary, while the Ide watch from a distance, quietly conversing among themselves as they watch their guests.


Time Slot: Early Evening

Magic: Allowed

I Am Interesting and Fascinating: A character may attempt to make polite conversation with the other attendees of the miai.

The character first chooses a Lore Skill and makes a single Lore Skill / Intelligence Roll using that Skill, against a TN of 10. On a success, the character manages to choose an interesting subject for the other samurai around her, earning herself 1 Dinner Point, plus 1 Dinner Point per successful Raise. On a failure, the character chooses a boring or uninteresting topic and loses 1 Dinner Point per Raise she called on the roll.

Note that depending upon the topic chosen, a character may suffer an Honor loss as if she had committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette (as determined by the GMs after the fact).


I Can Speak Good: Next, the character must present her chosen topic in such a way that it flows naturally into the conversation, without abruptly changing the subject or interrupting others. The character must make a single Etiquette (Conversation) / Awareness roll against a TN of 10. On a success, the character presents her topic well, earning herself 1 Dinner Point, plus 1 Dinner Point per successful Raise. On a failure, the character embarrasses herself and loses 1 Dinner Point per Raise she called on the roll.


I Am Polite and Thoughtful: Finally, the character must navigate the tricky meal laid out in front of her, which involves a great deal of red meat (a faux pas for traditional Rokugani) as well as chopsticks and precise Rokugani table manners (which are strange and overly critical to Unicorn sensibilities). The character must make an Etiquette / Awareness Roll against a TN of 10 to avoid having some sort of adverse reaction to the presence of the food, or to simply eat her meal without seeming like an uncouth barbarian. On a success, the character earns 1 Dinner Point, plus 1 Dinner Point per Raise. On a failure, the character embarrasses herself and loses 1 Dinner Point per Raise she called on the Roll, as well as Honor appropriate to having committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette.


The Seven Thunders Are Fighting Fu Leng In My Stomach: Unfortunately, the dinner is a bit of a minefield for Rokugani and Unicorn alike, with a plethora of cheeses and milk-based foods threaten to distress the stomachs of the generally lactose-intolerant Rokugani, while the shrimp and lobster can prove problematic for those of ujik-hai heritage, as it also afflicts them with an allergy to shellfish.

Each character must attempt a TN 15 Stamina Challenge. On a success, the character is fine and she can enjoy the new foods all she wants. On a failure, the character becomes violently ill in the Late Evening and later threads, and will suffer a +5 TN penalty to all Skill Rolls for the rest of the night and all of tomorrow.

If a character fails this roll by 5 or more points, she also gains the Bad Fortune (Allergy) disadvantage for either milk (if non-Unicorn) or shellfish (if Unicorn).


Scoring: Once the dinner is finished, the Ide will take stock of how the dinner went. The character(s) with the most Dinner Points will earn 3 Courtship Points, the character(s) with the second most Dinner Points will earn 2 Courtship Points, and the character(s) with the third most Dinner Points will earn 1 Courtship Point.


Once you have made your post in this event, you may attend the celebration thread located here.

[Shinjo Akil]

Akil is, of course, a Shinjo, and speaks to a wide variety of topics in regards to the Unicorn style, history, and customs. He in fact goes into great detail on the Shinjo's journeys, especially the parts of the Dark Ride he remembers most vividly. He is also proving to be a relatively skilled conversationalist across the whole situation, taking some breaths to keep himself contained but otherwise holding his own skillfully for someone who had just gotten here.

Ah yes, then there was the food. These chopsticks that people used. Why couldn't they use a fork like a normal person? Thankfully, the Ide had briefed him on chopsticks and table manners. He certainly was not perfect, what unicorn could expect to be, but at least he managed to get everything down.

His eyes narrowed on a piece of shellfish. He took it, studied it for a long time, then took a breath and plopped it in his mouth. He was going to regret that decision in the morning.

(OOC:
I am interesting and fascinating: Success with one raise!
I can speak good: Success with one raise!
I am polite and thoughtful: Sucess with two raises!
The Seven Thunders Are Fighting Fu Leng In My Stomach: Failed by exactly 5!
Points gained: 7 Dinner points
Allergy to shellfish?: Tragically so)

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

Monkhbaatar finds an appropriate place to sit for his station and looks over the feast with a wide smile. The sight of all the food from Rokugan fills him with a bit of boyish excitement. He loved lamb and game meat, but there were new and interesting flavors to be had tonight. He was not going to let the opportunity pass. But at the same time, he remembered his sensei and his parents telling him to try not to make a fool of himself so he showed more restraint than he might have if this were a Unicorn only affair.

Before starting in on his food he waited appropriately for those of higher rank to take first choices as he readied his utensils and fidgeted with them a bit. He observed the other clans folk with curiosity and it did not take him long to figure out how they were supposed to be used. It was difficult and unwieldy, causing his fingers to cramp a bit, but nothing he couldn't deal with by eating slowly and taking his time, which inadvertently fed into the sense of propriety that he was hoping to get across.

While he waited he offered a few prayers to the appropriate fortunes for the meal and noticed others doing the same, though using words and prayers that were new to him but common for modern Rokugani. In the spirit of getting to know the other guests better he sparked a small discussion about those small changes that seemed to occur between the Unicorn and the rest of the Empire in their absence. He kept it pleasant and interesting, being playful in his words, but soaking up what he could from the conversation like a sponge. He parroted back things that were interesting and drew parallels between how things had changed for both in small ways over time and seemed to hit it off with his conversation partners.

He was by no means the center of attention or the talk of the table, but he had at the very least proven that he was capable of basic etiquette when he put his mind to the task at hand.

D1 EE, Interesting and Fascinating, Lore: Theology, Unskilled, VP +1k1, TN 10: 3d10 22 1 Dinner point
D1 EE, Speak Good, Etiquette, Unskilled, VP +1k1, TN 10: 3d10 25 1 Dinner point
D1 EE, I Am Polite, Etiquette, Unskilled, TN 10: 2d10 14 1 Dinner point
D1 EE, In My Stomach, Stamina, VP +1k1, TN 15: 3d10o10 25 All the food!

3 Dinner points

[Ide Samai]

"Hai, the Ide and the Moto traveled together during our journeys." She listened intently, nodding along to her partner. "Ah, truly? Truly, how interesting. Can I suggest some of the stories told by our Marta cousins? They are among the Shinjo." She opened her flan, trying for a flourish but succeeding only partially.

She used the chop sticks tentatively picking out some of the shellfish. "Mhm. It's been years since I've eaten fish to be honest. We have some wonderful recipes from Mereen if you are interested." She seemed to enjoy herself overall, despite the surrounding strangeness. Eating fish. In a house owned by the Ide! How novel!

OOC:

Interesting Fascinating: 2 Dinner points
Speak Good: 3 Dinner points
Polite Thoughtful: 2 Dinner points
Thundering Fu Leng: Pass

Total: 7 Dinner points

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki talks to some random Unicorn samurai about her Clan. She manages to keep it interesting.

Mizuki manages to slip in the conversation very naturally.

Mizuki manages to swallow her horror and eat the meal.

Sadly, the meal would prove Mizuki's suspicion correct.

Points:
I Am Interesting and Fascinating: 1 Dinner Point
I Can Speak Good: 1 Dinner Point
I Am Polite and Thoughtful: 3 Dinner Points
5 Dinner Points Total
Failed the battle of stomachs, but managed to avoid an allergy.

[Usagi Tsukimi]

Tsukimi was fair. She chitchatted, and she mingled. She held her own, and caught interest here and there.
When it was time to eat, she was cautious but intrigued by all the new dishes, the likes of which she had never seen! She devoured them, becoming infatuated with the cheeses in particular, and had more than her fill.
But oh, how they did not agree with the chipper bunny! She was wracked with stomach pains as her body rebelled against the delicious new introductions to her gastrointestinal tract. But she kept eating. And suffering. So good. So painful.

Lore:Heraldry/Intel TN 10: 3d10o10k2 13 = 1 Dinner pt
Etiquette/Awa Void 1k1, 1 CR, TN 15: 4d10k4 30 = 2 Dinner pts
Polite: Etiquette/Awa Void 1k1, 1 CR, TN 15: 4d10k4 29 = 2 Dinner pts
Stamina TN 15: 2d10k2 8 = Bad Fortune (Allergy to milk)
= 5 Dinner pts

[Yuzuki]

"Hmm," Yuzuki started to speak during a lull in the conversation at her end of the table, "well..."

You should bring out the puppets. They'll love 'em!

"What are you even talking about. Don't ruin this."

You heard her. Don't ruin this.

I'm not ruining anything. You are.

Both of you are ruining it. Let's just watch.

I don't want to. I want to play.

Yuzuki furrowed her brow. Fortunately, nobody had noticed her talking to herself. Or the silence that had followed it. Nobody was paying her any attention at all, in fact. Which surely wasn't going to be the way to attract positive attention to herself.

"Ahem," she coughed politely. "Surely Shinjo-sama knows about the concept of the minor clans? If not, then I could offer some of my own insights on them, as I am myself of the Mantis clan."

Now *that* drew some attention. Minor clans? Mantis? This wasn't in the orientation course at all. A couple of Unicorns engaged her in conversation about the topic.

"But Mantis-san," one asked, "how can these minor clans even function? The concept baffles me."

"Well, it's not my fault if you can't understand it," she replied in a fashion she immediately regretted. It wasn't as if she'd *tried* to insult him.

Oh dear. Maybe we put her off her game.

You mean you did.

We can't blame ourselves for everything. Sometimes these things just happen.

Hey, if you want to set things right, maybe...

No! Don't spoil the surprise yet!

She sighed, and started on an apology, but the sigh was misinterpreted and she ended up bumbling through the apology just barely avoiding a complete black-out on conversation. Perhaps she should just focus on the food...

...which was all kinds of horrible. Meat? Milk? It was all so entirely uncivilized! And the quality left something to be desired too! And how do you even eat this with chopsticks? Her On must have faltered severely, because the Unicorn kept asking her if there was something wrong with the food.

Well, there was. Obviously. But she just shook her head, assured them there wasn't, and kept staring at it in mild horror.

At least she could keep it down.

Lore: Anything / Intelligence (Unskilled) - Did you hear about the... (TN10): 2d10k2 17
Etiquette / Awareness, VOID, TN20 (2 raises) - Reroll because dumb: 4d10o10k3 18
Etiquette / Awareness, VOID, TN20 (2 raises) - I am best at polite: 4d10o10k3 12
Stamina, TN15 - Please, at least pass this!: 3d10o10k3 15

-3 points
Minor Breach of Etiquette

[Asako Yuki]

Yuki was happy to sit down and join the meal with her long lost allies. Eyeing the feast laid out before her Yuki smiled as portions of it were at least partially familiar to her from her reading. She sat down in the mix and proceeded to help some of the Unicorn explain what the various dishes are, and to steer some of her fellow natives away from what might prove to be potentially gastrointestinally dangerous.

Which worked quite well until the kumis came out, and Yuki, remembering a piece of information about the fermented milk, blurted it out loudly. The entire table paused for a moment and turned to look at the woman even as she quickly attempted to simultaneously become invisible and finish a cup of sake.

As the plates began to circulate, Yuki managed to deftly avoid partaking in the copious red meat via way of feigned (or real) ignorance and turning the meat into a cultural lesson until the person offering was sufficiently distracted. Which worked until the massive cheese wheels made their appearance. Yuki had always found the thought of cheese fascinating, but vaguely remembered a story she had heard about them causing all sorts of trouble for people. Steeling herself, Yuki bravely nommed a piece of cheese and her eyes immediately lit up. "So good!" She exclaimed before blushing a bit at her outburst and quietly packing more cheese onto her plate.

I am Interesting: 19 Success, one raise
I Can Speak Well: 7 Fail, one raise
I am Polite: 35 Success, one raise
Oh God Cheese: 43

Score: 3 Dinner Points

[Otaku Kitakuhime]

Courage Shiotome! You must guide by example! Pick a topic that will not only entertain guests, but make them wonder even more about the Unicorn. Something Otaku-shiryo herself would be proud. Focus on what she would do.

Kitakuhime taps Gekko's forehead, thanking him to have helped her find a suitable topic. She waves him farewell, adjusts her newly produced Rokugani furisode, and manages to elegantly hide her riding boots underneath it while walking near the serving tables.

Minding to be a bit far from Butaj –– no to get obfuscated with his brilliance –– the young Shiotome notices a group of handsome Scorpion, and walks toward her self made trap. She charges in, exactly like Otaku: beautiful, honorable and... silent.

While the boys notice her presence and lower their voices so she could add up to the conversation, she merely blinks while maintaining her smile. There's a small gag, but no: she doesn't say anything at all.

A couple of odds heartbeats later, she bows and awkwardly dodges through them to reach one of the nearby tables. Her eyes widen, as she sees sliced tiny sea monsters being served –– even some that are still alive.

She looks back, and yes –– the Scorpion boys are still looking at her. Another bow, and the girl carefully fetches herself a bowl without looking much to it. The other hand gets some chopsticks ready and she whispers Inari a small prayer, "Itadakimasu."

Opening her eyes, she approaches the chopsticks nearby the moving tentacles. She can see the creature's eyes as it enlaces itself on the wooden utensil. Once again, she taps into her noble origins and fills herself with courage.

Ichi, ni, san!

After the counting, Kitakuhime skillfully swallows the sea creature –– which no one would have the slightest idea how it would still be alive so far from the shore –– and then smiles. To her surprise, it was delicious. A sip of kumis to lighten up the load, and she starts to round the table, experimenting other flavors with a happy glint in her eyes.

--
I Am Interesting and Fascinating: TN 10 = 15 - Success
I Can Speak Good: TN 10 = 4 - Failure
I Am Polite and Thoughtful: TN 10 = 13 Success
The Seven Thunders Are Fighting Fu Leng In My Stomach: TN 15 = 34 Success

2 Dinner Points

[Kakita Nanami]

Having heard tales of the strange cuisine of the returning Unicorn, Nanami had strengthened her constitution against upset with a call to both the Earth and Fire kami. How she wished she could call upon their graces now as, despite her eloquent speech, she seemed to be boring the young Unicorn across from her with tales of how Doji-kami had brought culture to the Empire.

He did, however, nod appreciatively at her choice of cuisine. Her stomach rumbled slightly at the unusual substance the Unicorn called 'cha-iisu' and made a mental note to avoid it in the future, politely washing the taste from her mouth with a sip of tea.

OOC - Rolls:
Earth's Touch (1VP to cast as Fire spell; Rank 2, Int 3) - 5k3 vs. TN16 - 21 (Success)
I am Interesting!: Lore (History) / Intelligence (2 Raises Called, Void for +1k1) vs. TN20 - 17 (Fail, -2 Dinner Point)
I can speak good!: Etiquette (Conversation) / Awareness (2 Raises Called) vs. TN20 - 30 (Success, 3 Dinner Points)
I am polite!: Etiquette / Awareness (2 Raises Called) vs. TN20 - 28 (Success, 3 Dinner Points)
Seven Thunders in my Tummy!: Stamina (+1 from Earth's Touch) vs. TN15 - 21 (Success)

Total: 4 Dinner Points

[Kitsune Takeo]

Sitting down at the table dressed comfortably, Takeo looked to his left and smiled at the Shinjo seated there. He took the opportunity to begin with a simple introduction and then delved into shared lineage of the two families - how the Kitsune had grown out of what the Unicorn had left behind. His knowledge was robust and, with the Shinjo's curiosity piqued, he was able to point out at least one living relative that he suspected was a distant cousin.

His abrupt shift to the nature of Unicorn military tactics was somewhat poorly executed, and the Shinjo seemed slightly put-off by the dramatic shift in topic, but was polite enough to allow Takeo to inquire.

The food, for his part, was exceptional. He carefully navigated the minefield that was the table, sampling a bit of everything in moderation and making appreciative sounds for the Shinjo when he happened upon something he truly enjoyed. Particular attention was paid to combination item. It was almost as if Takeo's tastebuds exploded when he placed the tiny morsel into his mouth. The resulting flavor was a mixture of sweet and salty, with just a hint of pungence.

"Shinjo-san, you simply must tell me what this was. The fruit - a date was it? That was wonderful, but this on the outside - truly, truly delicious!"

"Ahh, Kitsune-sama," the Shinjo said, smiling knowingly, "That would be bacon."

As he continued to learn from his neighbor and expanded his culinary vocabulary, he did so in moderation - ensuring he was in perfect condition for the day that followed.

(Lore: Heraldry / Int - 3k2 + 1k1+6 void = 4k3+6 - 2 raises called = 42 3 points

Ettiquette (Con) / Awa - 3k2 - TN 10 = 9 - no points

Ettiquette / Awa - 3k2 + 1k1+6 void = 4k3+6 - 2 raises called = 38 3 points

Stamina roll TN 15 = 25

6 Dinner Points and a fondness for bacon)

[Kaiu Hiroji]

Perhaps driven by the amount of people in the room, and the ready availability of alcohol (be it this strange milk substance that would make him regret drinking later, even more than usual) Hiroji found himself to be a tad bit more talkative than he usually is, and the strangeness of the local beverages discouraged himself from drinking too much to not be cordial. He struck up a few conversations regarding the general history of the Emerald Empire, and found the conversation quite illuminating. Though he did come across as a tad bit crass to the others, which earned him a few disapproving but still fleeting glances.


[OOC:
I Am Interesting and Fascinating: Unskilled Lore: History. No raises. 3d10: 18 [3d10=9, 1, 8]. 1 Dinner Point
I can speak good: Unskilled Etiquette Roll. No raises. 1 Void spent +1k1. 3d10: 20 [3d10=7, 5, 8]. 1 Dinner Point.
I am Polite and Thoughtful: Unskilled Etiquette Roll. No raises. 1 Void spent +1k1. 3d10: 8 [3d10=1, 4, 3]. 0 Dinner Points. Minor Breach of Etiquette.
The Seven Thunders Are Fighting Fu Leng In My Stomach: Stamina Roll. No Raises. 3d10o10k3: 10 [3d10o10k3=[5, 3, 2]]. Allergy. +5 TN for This and Next Day.
Total Dinner Points: 2]

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

There were, Tomonaga realized, certain advantages that his upbringing and training brought him, even in an unfamiliar place like this.

Crab were not necessarily proper, but Yasuki had to be proper. At least from time to time. As the face for the Yasuki Golden Carp Sake Brewing Family, Tomonaga already had lots of experience rubbing elbows with, well, boring people. Looking around, his light brown eyes sharp, Tomonaga rather suspected that many of those nearby were not, in fact boring. But polite and boring often seemed to go hand in hand, and so he entered into conversation the same way he had before when dealing with dusty old Crane or Lion relics.

Dusty old relics... in fact, that gave him a good topic! "Yes," He murmurs to a Unicorn man, converting from his more usual 'yeah' at the last moment, "-we're familiar with the events leading up to the departure of the Unicorn, of course. But now, we're just as eager to learn what the Unicorn have done while away, just like you want to know what's been happening in the Empire. It'd be great to hear more details..." The conversational gambit proved to be a good one, as the Unicorn was all too happy to talk about his own clan, with only occasional prompting from Tomonaga, or references to what had been happening in the Empire at the same time. This was good, because in truth, he only had a vague idea.

And then the food... Tomonaga looks down at the offered meat, his politely cheerful expression not wavering. His mind races as he thought over past experiences, trying to remember a bit of his schooling or training. Nothing came to mind...

Until...

"Eat it, Tomonaga!" His eldest brother said, a sneer on his features. At age ten to Tomonaga's five, he was much larger, more forceful. Besides, it was difficult to resist that brotherly taunt, especially when the others joined in. "Eat it, eat it" his siblings chanted, pounding their fists on the table. And so, to much cheering, Tomonaga threw his head back, slurping down the slug, only just managing not to gag.

"That was great! Now, here's a spider..."

The memory faded. Thank you, brothers and sisters. Tomonaga thought dryly as he sampled the variety of food and drink, his expression growing a touch more cheerful. Pretty good. Beats slugs and spiders...

...
Interesting! 17=PASS. 1 point
Speak good! 2 raises, 22=PASS. 3 points
Polite! 2 raises, VP, 32=PASS. 3 points
No barf! VP, 17=PASS. No barf!
Total = 7 points, no allergy/barfing

[Shinjo Liu Fei]

Liu Fei did as her Clan desired, which was made greatly simpler when what her Clan desired her to do was to just eat and drink. Sure, talking too, but the eating and drinking part wasn't that bad. Especially the drinking part, that helped stomach some of the more flowery types around here. When she had the chance, she turned to topic to something interesting enough for herself, acrobatics. Specifically she chatted with whoever would listen about how different types of acrobatics forms not only had presence in her marital skills but how it was a rather fun way to maintain fitness. Using the time of others to discover how such sorts of feats were handled back in the Empire nowadays. Despite her, slightly drunken, tendency to overlook boring speakers who were still actually speaking and her absolute inability to use chopsticks, enough people enjoyed the idea of conversation for it not to have been a total waste. She tried, but she still wasn't quite Rokugani enough for most sensibilities.

Rolls:

Lore: Acrobatics: 11 vs 10, Passed.
Etiquette: 9 vs 10, Failed.
Etiquette: 4 vs 10, Failed.

Stamina: 22 vs 15, Passed. [Incorrectly Rolled]
Stamina: 21 vs 15, Passed. [Correctly Rolled, GM permission]

Total: 1 Dinner Point, Minor Breach of Etiquette (-0.1 Honor)

[Moto Baatar]

"So, uh ... did you know us Unicorn like horses...?" Moto Baatar ventured, as an opening line to one of the cute girls at the dinner. The eastern girl looked pretty soft, just like the other riders in his tribe had warned him... but on the other hand, she looked soft, in a rather intriguingly different way entirely.

"Oh.. horses... really...?" the girl replied, dutifully trying to feign interest in such a ludicrously obvious statement as she pretended to enjoy the bizarre dairy products that had been put in her (otherwise perfectly acceptable) rice bowl by an over-enthusiastic Ide retainer.

"Yes, there's nothing like riding in the cool evening air," Bataar continued, encouraged by the response. "Your hair and the horse's mane streaming in the wind, the beast's powerful body moving beneath you, the hoofbeats echoing in the night.... all your cares left far behind you as you outrun them. Have you ridden before?"

"I haven't, I'm afraid... but you make it sound so fascinating," the girl said, her face becoming lively again as she warmed to the Moto's vivid description.

"You should try it," Baatar assured her, as he reached for a morsel of food with his eating spears. No, eating sticks, he reminded himself. He carefully trapped the food between the two sticks and lifted it toward his mouth. He froze when he realized what it actually was.

It's a BUG, he realized. They want me to eat a bug!!

"Is something wrong, Moto-san?" the girl asked curiously.

"Nooo," Baatar said cautiously. Don't lose your cool, he prayed to himself. Lowering the bug back to his dish, he carefully pulled the legs off the bug and peeled the shiny, segmented carapace away from the steaming flesh inside. Steeling up his courage, he popped the dead bug corpse into his mouth.

"Delicious!" he declared, before starting to chew.

To Baatar's great surprise, it actually was delicious.

--
I am Interesting and Fascinating, Lore: Unicorn 8 missed TN10
I can Speak Good with 2 raises, Etiquette 22 hits TN20
I am Polite and Thoughtful with 1 raise, Etiquette 33 hits TN15
Fu Leng in my Stomach, Stamina 28 hits TN15, no ill effects

5 Dinner Points