Hello, everyone!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Character Background</div><div class="spoiler_body">The traditions of the Lion go back for hundreds of years, back to the founding of the Empire.  Generation after generation followed them, and in doing so, honored those who came before.  How, then is a Lion supposed to behave, when those honored ancestors return, and bring war with them.<br/><br/>Matsu Shiori is just old enough to have experienced and to remember life before the War of the Spirits.  Her mother and father were both strict traditionalists, and taught Shiori well.  She was serious and studious, even as a child, and took her duties very serious.  A good Lion.  While she had some of the hot temper of her mother, it was tempered somewhat by the cool reserve of her Akodo father, giving her some foresight.  And, of course, she was taught to honor her ancestors.  This briefly became easier in the wake of tales of the Battle of Oblivion's Gate, in which the living and the honored dead fought side by side.  Little Shiori's imagination surged.  Would it be possible to ask ancient Akodo tacticians to expand on some of their treatises?  Could Ikoma bards tell tales from ancient battles that they had personally seen?  The possibilities were immense.<br/><br/>But then the Emperor issued his decree, ordering the ancestors to commit suicide.  And then they defied him.  And the War of Spirits began.<br/><br/>Most Lion supported the Emperor; Toturi, that is, not the returned Hantei.  Some did not.  This created quite a schism in the Lion, and in Shiori.  It was different to honor an ancestor that you knew was up and walking around.  It was strange to hear tactics lessons, where the teachings came from someone currently fighting the Emperor.  Shiori responded by clinging to tradition all the harder, doing her best to ignore the reports of traitorous spirits.<br/><br/>When encouraged to improvise, however, Shiori showed that she had a good deal of potential.  The needs of the war caused many Lion in training to take their Gempukku as early as possible.  At age fourteen, long of limb and having matured early, Shiori was attached to a patrol unit, far from the front.  As well as being fast, and as eager to serve as any Lion, her patrol leader found her to be impressively perceptive, and a good tactical thinker.  He reported such to her sensei.<br/><br/>With most of the unit as inexperienced as her, they were kept off the front lines for most of the war.  She only saw fighting at the end.  It was the most frightened Shiori had ever been in her life.  How did one stand up against legends?  But, of course, she did her duty.  Despite misgivings.  As always.<br/><br/>One of the more notable events for her personally, if not in the grand scheme of things, occurred on the eve of one of these large final battles.  Her patrol had traveled beyond enemy lines to gather vital information about the enemies' numbers and positioning.  But they were caught before they could make their way back to friendly territory, and had to undertake a fighting retreat.  When it became clear that they would be overrun, her friend and <em>gunso</em>, Matsu Sakurako, held a narrow pass alone, fighting against overwhelming odds to allow the rest of the unit to return with the information.  Shiori was deeply touched by the sacrifice.  After the battle, when Sakurako's remains were recovered, Shiori requested that she be allowed to return her daisho to her family.  The request was granted.  And so it was that Shiori presented her fallen friend's daisho to her husband, Matsu Keitaro.  Although she maintained her composure, it was difficult, especially when she saw Keitaro's reaction.  A samurai was supposed to maintain composure in the face of tragedy, but Shiori found that she really could not fault him.<br/><br/>After the war, she returned home.  Her sensei, meeting with her, asked him to demonstrate all she had learned.  When she was finished, he nodded.  "I am putting in a recommendation for you to join the newly created Reijiro family.  You will be accepted.  When the honor comes to you, I strongly suggest you take it."  All of Shiori's objections would not change his mind, nor would he offer explanation, merely saying that she would understand in time.<br/><br/>And so she joined the Reijiro.  But she does not yet understand.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Personality and Apperance</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i58.tinypic.com/97m96r.jpg)</div>Personality:<br/><br/>Shiori is born of both Akodo and Matsu, and it clearly shows.  Her Matsu side has given her strength and fierceness; she will not hesitate to respond to what she perceives as an attack, on or off the battlefield.  Her Akodo side has given her the ability to think and give measured response, however; her tactical mind is often active, even when not fighting.  She still clings to traditions and formality as best she can, and someone meeting her for the first time will find her stiff, even prickly.  Those who get to know her a bit better may be surprised to find a sense of humor, perhaps even some softness.  But not much; the Matsu strength runs deep, after all, hiding secret passions.  Still, she will be true and loyal to those who earn her friendship.<br/><br/>Appearance:<br/><br/>Shiori is, in short, lean and leggy, built much like the great cats from which her original clan takes its name.  She is a bit taller than the average Rokugani samurai-ko.  She is slender, her body just a little too muscular, and her feminine curves just a bit too developed to be called lithe.  Her face is surprisingly delicate, with defined cheekbones, cute nose, and tiny mouth, often lightly frowning.  Her hair is long, hanging to her waist, often in a long ponytail, mostly black, but with streaks of dark brown.  Her eyes, similarly, are deep brown, but with amber specks, visible in the right light.<br/><br/>Of special note is her manner of dress.  It is quite unusual for most of Rokugan, but can sometimes be seen among Matsu samurai-ko, combining their respect for tradition with their sometimes slightly aggressive disregard for propriety.  She dresses in a distinctly older style, from a less modest time.  The neck of her kimono is wider than most.  It hangs off of Shiori's shoulders, rather than her collarbone, exposing some of the pale golden skin of her neck and collar, and just begins to display the tops of her generous breasts.  Furthermore, it is slit in one side, to allow the Matsu warrior easier motion, but one can see the occasional flash of her shapely, well-toned leg.  This occasionally draws attention from both prudish and lecherous eyes.  Shiori has time for neither.<br/></div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Character Sheet</div><div class="spoiler_body">Reijiro (Matsu) Shiori<br/><br/>School/Rank: Akodo Bushi 1<br/>Insight: 129<br/>XP:<br/>Age: 19<br/><br/>Status:<br/>Honor: 6.5<br/>Glory: 1<br/><br/>Rings<br/>Earth 2<br/>-Stamina 2<br/>-Willpower 2<br/><br/>Water 3<br/>-Strength 3 (+1 from family)<br/>-Perception 3 (+1 from School)<br/><br/>Fire 2<br/>-Agility 3 (12)<br/>-Intelligence 2<br/><br/>Air 2<br/>-Reflexes 3 (12)<br/>- Awareness 2<br/><br/>Void 2<br/><br/><br/>Skills (* are school skills/emphasis)<br/>*Battle (*Mass Combat) 2<br/>*Defense: 1<br/>*Kenjustu 3<br/>*Kyujutsu 1<br/>*Lore - History 1<br/>*Sincerity 2<br/>*Iaijutsu 1<br/>Investigation 2<br/>Hunting  1<br/>Etiquette 1<br/>Athletics 1<br/>Games (go) - 1<br/><br/><br/>Advantages:<br/><br/>Benten's Blessing (4)<br/>Strength of the Earth (2)<br/><br/>Disadvantages:<br/><br/>Idealistic (-3)<br/><br/><br/><br/>Techniques<br/><br/>    Rank 1: The Way of The Lion<br/>    - You may either ignore an opponent's TN bonus from armor or gain a Free Raise when attacking. You gain a +1k0 bonus on your first melee attack against an opponent in a skirmish, or against any opponent who has declared a Raise on an attack against you since your last turn.<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>Inventory:<br/>Light Armour<br/>Sturdy Clothing<br/>Daisho<br/>No-dachi<br/>Fine courtly kimono<br/><br/>Travelling Pack:<br/>Fan<br/>Spare Kimono and sandals<br/>Sake cup<br/>Flint and tinder<br/>Small tent<br/>Miniature go set<br/>Chopsticks<br/>Cooking pot<br/>Straw Cloak<br/>Week's rations<br/><br/>Money:<br/>4 koku<br/>----<br/><br/>Initiative roll: 4k3<br/><br/>Primary Weapon: Nodachi<br/><br/>Armor: Light<br/>TN bonus: +5<br/>Reduction: 3<br/>TN to be hit: 25 --&gt; 20 (Ref) + 5 (Armour)</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">20 Questions</div><div class="spoiler_body">WHAT CLAN DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?<br/>Lion.  Wait, Owl now.<br/><br/>HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER'S APPEARANCE?<br/>Beautiful, but fierce.  Much like a lion.  Both tend to be immediately evident upon seeing her.  She typically dresses in practical garments, but she was gifted one nice court kimono in her new clan colors by her old sensei.  It is in an older style, one which Shiori favors, not so much out of fashion, but distinctly from an earlier time.  The major difference between it and more modern kimonos is that fashion from the time favored a wider cut in the neck.  <br/><br/>IS YOUR CHARACTER A BUSHI, SHUGENJA, MONK, OR COURTIER?<br/>Bushi.  It is, after all, the most vital duty a samurai can have.<br/><br/>WHAT FAMILY DOES YOUR CHARACTER BELONG TO?<br/>Matsu.  Wait, Reijiro now.  She's still not used to that.<br/><br/>WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S MAIN MOTIVATION?<br/>Duty.  A Lion (even a former one) always does what is expected of her.  No matter how little it makes sense, or how many idiots she is surrounded by!  She clings to the idea that doing her duty will eventually lead to everything sorting out.<br/><br/>WHO IS THE PERSON YOUR CHARACTER TRUSTS MOST?<br/>Akodo Toshio, her sensei.  Even more than her parents, he taught her everything she knows, and made her into the woman she is now.  Her mother is a close second.  Third would be herself; by trusting in the tenents of Bushido, she believes that she will make the right decision.<br/><br/>WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S GREATEST STRENGTH? GREATEST WEAKNESS?<br/>Shiori's greatest strength is her conviction.  Her strong beliefs guide her in difficult times, and allow her to be decisive in confusing ones.  Her greatest weakness is that she is traditional to the point of being hidebound.  Unless forced to do otherwise, she is perfectly content to do things the way that they have always been done.<br/><br/>WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK OF BUSHIDO?<br/>Bushido is a light in the darkness, created by our glorious ancestors to guide our way.  If ever a decision is unclear, one should look to the tenets of Bushido for the proper course.<br/><br/>WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S OPINION OF HER OWN CLAN?<br/>Every clan has its purpose.  Well, except maybe the Scorpion; Shiori doesn't really think they do.  But the Lion best fulfill the most important duty of the samurai: to fight and die for the Empire.  And none display the traditional virtues of the samurai better than the Lion, either.  Truly, the Lion are the greatest clan.<br/><br/>The Lion have a tradition going back for generation after generation.  The Owl do not.  The other clans have gotten by without an Owl clan for more than a thousand years.  Shiori will serve them, but really, do they have a purpose?<br/><br/>IS YOUR CHARACTER MARRIED?<br/>No.  If an advantageous marriage were proposed, Shiori would dutifully go along with it, of course.  For anything else... well, that's just not done, is it?!?!<br/><br/>DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?<br/>Haha.  Yeah she does!<br/><br/>Shugenja and courtiers should out of the battle.  Or at least behind a solid screen of bushi.  They can do little to help, and may distract a bushi who feels obligated to protect them.<br/>The Scorpion clan serves no purpose.  The samurai of the Empire find the right decision through honor.  How can taking dishonorable action be the purpose of a samurai clan?<br/>The Celestial Order is as it is for a reason.  The lower classes should be treated with kindness, but ultimately it is their duty to serve, just as it is the duty of samurai to serve those above them.  By the same logic, Ronin cannot be trusted, as they are not in their proper place.<br/><br/>TO WHOM DOES YOUR CHARACTER OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?<br/>The obvious answer is Emperor, Clan, Family, in that order.  In truth, Shiori does recognize that personal loyalties are important, too.  She mostly feels that towards her aforementioned sensei and mother, but also towards her friends, especially those that she actively serves with.<br/><br/>WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER'S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?<br/>Shiori really enjoys studying tactics, even if she doesn't have the most scholarly mind for it.  She also enjoys playing go, as she feels that it helps hone her tactics.  She'll barely admit to it, but she also enjoys some more leisurely activities; she likes to relax and watch the heavens, whether sun, moon, or stars from time to time.  She also won't admit to having a sense of humor, and enjoying a good joke, but she secretly does.<br/><br/>DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?<br/>A disapproving frown.  Being judgmental.<br/><br/>WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER'S EMOTIONS?<br/>Although Shiori has the potential to have a bit of a temper, she really only suffers from surges of irritation, released in a cutting remark.  She does sometimes feel warmth towards her friends.  Other emotions she does her best to repress; they aren't really appropriate for samurai.<br/><br/>HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE A SUBORDINATEfS IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?<br/>Discipline to exactly the amount prescribed in the Akodo leadership manuals she's read.  Perhaps a little on the light side for minor breaches, though; she has no issue with verbally correcting any behavior she objects to.<br/><br/>HOW WOULD YOUR CHARACTER'S PARENTS DESCRIBE HER?<br/>"A good and dutiful daughter."  They weren't really that expressive, and really, that's pretty high praise from a Lion.<br/><br/>WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S HIGHEST AMBITION?<br/>Previously, it was to be a grand general for the Lion armies.  Now, in a minor clan, this has shifted somewhat.  She still hopes to eventually be a general, and, as long as she's dreaming, that the Owl army be a feared fighting force for its size.<br/><br/>HOW RELIGIOUS IS YOUR CHARACTER?<br/>Eh, sorta.  She does her best, but she doesn't really know that much about religion; she just does what is expected of her.  Besides which, honoring one's ancestors definitely feels unusual now.<br/><br/>IF YOU COULD, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR CHARACTER?<br/>Times change!  The old ways aren't always the best.  Also, it's ok to loosen up a bit.  You don't need to be on duty all the time.<br/><br/>OPINIONS ON THE OTHER CLANS:<br/>Shiori's opinions on other clans generally focuses on the ways in which they diverge from the ideals of Bushido.  Or, rather, the ways in which they diverge from the Lion.  The Phoenix and the Dragon she both sees as focusing too much on matters besides warfare, the primary duty of the samurai.  The Unicorn and Crab are both respected for their strong military, but lack either the virtue or the strong ties to Rokugani tradition that make the best samurai.  Strangely, she admires the Crane the most.  They have both virtue and tradition, and they are powerful in every arena, which she admires tactically.  It is only their focus on artistry that she feels makes them fall behind.  The Mantis, lacking in the divine heritage of the great clans, also cause Shiori to think poorly of them.  At least, unlike the Scorpion, they have a purpose that she can understand, even if she doesn't entirely respect it.<br/></div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Bonus Questions!</div><div class="spoiler_body">-Which tenets of Bushido are most important to your character?  Which tenets are least important?<br/>Duty is by far the most important.  It is the reason for samurai.  Courage and honor are important as well, with sincerity just below those.  Shiori has some difficulties with courtesy sometimes, and she is rather utilitarian regarding compassion, which is probably missing the point.  She sees compassion more as a means to instill loyalty than as a virtue in itself.<br/><br/>-Does your character know of Shourido?  What does your character think of it?<br/>Shiori is still in the process of improving her scholarly knowledge of Bushido, so she only knows of Shourido as a name, and as something bad.  If she learned some more details about it, she might find that some of the principles are hard to disagree with, namely perfection, determination, and will.  However, the lack of anything relating to duty will cause her to be inherently suspicious of Shourido, as she does feel that this is the most important virtue a samurai can possess.<br/><br/>-Was your character involved in the war of spirits? <br/>Very much so!<br/><br/>-What did your character think of each side on the war of spirits?<br/>Speaking about the other side, they had refused an explicit order from the Emperor.  This already speaks of a failure on their part.  However, Shiori had been raised from birth to revere her ancestors, a habit that she maintained even in the face of their hostility.  Even as they fought against the empire, she still admired them.<br/><br/>As for her own side, Shiori will only say that they supported the Emperor, and were therefore in the right.  Secretly, however, she wonders if the initial order that led to the war may have been a mistake.  How much could they have learned from working together with the returned spirits, if they had honored them instead of fighting them?  Now, she worries that the war has created too great a gap between the two sides.<br/><br/>-What did your character think of the treaty?<br/>Shiori has decidedly mixed feelings about the recent treaty.  For the large part, she thinks it is a bad idea.  The spirits resisted an order from the Emperor, and fought a war against the rest of Rokugan, a war which ended up being the longest in Rokugan's history.  It is good that lives were saved by the end of the war, but it is a samurai's duty to fight and die, after all, and she was still alive.  Placing the defeated Hantei Ochukeo as the head of a new clan, a great clan no less, with all of the power that accompanies that, seems as though it could easily lead to new problems down the road, as he gathers influence, and builds up his armies again.  After all, his skill as a politician could not be understated.  Besides, he was supposed to be dead, his ordained time long passed.  It goes against the natural order, in which a generation passes its knowledge and responsibility to the next.<br/><br/>On the other hand, despite how firmly Shiori believes it to be a bad idea, she really wants it to work out.  She has never had the opportunity to converse with one of the returned ancestor spirits, and secretly hopes that she someday will have the chance to.  But... surely it's not worth thinking about; it's impossible.<br/><br/>-If given the chance what would your character change about Rokugan?<br/>Unsurprisingly, Shiori longs for the days of old, the days that she has only studied in histories.  She feels that the Empire has changed too much since it's inception, and has gotten too far from its roots.  She would like to see the last few hundred years of history rolled back, although she does still feel that the defeat of Fu Leng and the Darkness are both good.  She would like to see, politically at least, things returned to back before the time of the Clan Wars.<br/><br/>She does also wonder if the Empire, if it lacked both internal conflict and existential threats, might be able to become more expansionistic.  Conquering a new land is a faraway dream of hers, but a dream nonetheless.</div></div>