There are two essential beverages in the snowbound capital: wine (whether brewed sake or distilled shochu) and tea. Fortunes help Rokugan if either runs out before the snow clears.
For the amusement of the courtiers, several of the resident Scorpion Clan members have organized a grand debate to settle, once and for all, which of these two substances is the true Champion among drinks!
The palace dining hall is stocked with a generous sampling of teas and wines--mostly products of Bayushi's clan lands, supplemented with whatever else the Scorpion could dig up around town. In most respects it looks like a typical drinking party, except that it's also been decorated with two paper "war banners," one for the grand cause of Tea and one for that of Wine. This is to be a war of words, of course...
The Crunch: This event has three steps, each represented by a single roll. Some steps offer a choice of skill options to use for this roll. None of the rolls are considered Contested or otherwise target any specific person.
Magic: It is a bit weird to cut yourself and enact a sacred ritual in the middle of a drinking party. Expect strange looks? However, spells that last for one hour or more will be effective as long as they’re cast before attempting Step 1. Kiho/tattoos are probably also fine.
Part One: Choose Your Fighter
The main reason for attending this gathering is, of course, to sample the wide array of teas and wines from various regions presented by the hosts. Some attendees come just to enjoy all the drinks, but if you wish to join in the debate proper, you will have to choose a side! Pick one:
Advocate for Wine: Test Lore: Sake/Intelligence, another equivalent Lore skill, or Investigation (Notice)/Perception against TN 15; or test Craft: Brewing/Intelligence against TN 10. Success on this roll earns one Wine Point, plus one additional Wine Point per raise. On a failed roll, you choose a random wine rather than one with special qualities to extoll, but you can still proceed with the event.
Advocate for Tea: Test Lore: Tea/Intelligence, another equivalent Lore skill, or Tea Ceremony/Awareness against TN 15; or test Craft: Tea/Intelligence against TN 10. Success on this roll earns one Tea Point, plus one additional Tea Point per raise. On a failed roll, you choose a random tea rather than one with special qualities to extol, but you can still proceed with the event.
Part Two: Lift the Spirits
By the time the actual debate begins, most participants have already drunk a large quantity of wine or tea (or both). The effect of either is usually pleasant, but take care not to go overboard. Before speaking their pieces, participants must:
Team Wine: Test Raw Stamina against TN 15. On a success, you gain one Free Raise to your roll in Step Three, as the drink loosens your creative spirits while leaving your mind alert.
If you fail the roll by 10 or more, you have overindulged—perhaps you have trouble focusing or begin to slur your speech—and you suffer a penalty of -1k0 to your roll in Step 3.
If all your kept dice are 1s, you pass out and cannot complete the event.
Team Tea: Test Raw Void against TN 15. On a success, you gain one Free Raise to your roll in Step Three, as the tea sharpens your wits and awakens your senses.
If you fail the roll by 10 or more, you have overindulged—perhaps you become overly jittery or your mind races out of step with your tongue—and you suffer a penalty of -1k0 to your roll in Step 3.
If all your kept dice are 1s, you have to run to the necessary closet now, yes RIGHT NOW, and cannot complete the event.
Alternatively: You can avoid all risk of overindulgence by surreptitiously spitting out your drinks instead of swallowing, or dumping out your cup on the sly. If you choose this option, test Sleight of Hand/Agility against TN 15. (Yes, it’s a Low Skill.) On a success, you keep a perfectly clear head and gain one Free Raise to your roll in Step Three.
If you fail the roll by ANY AMOUNT, your subterfuge is noticeable. The breach of etiquette is a trivial one, but it does mean your contribution to the debate will be given less weight, since you didn’t properly partake of the beverage you are praising. You suffer a penalty of -1k0 to your roll in Step 3.
Part Three: The Great Contention
Each participant, in turn, is given a brief opportunity to artfully praise the virtues of their chosen beverage or subtly denigrate the drawbacks of the rival drink. The cleverer and more elegant the discourse, the more praise from the amused crowd!
Test Courtier (Rhetoric)/Awareness, Perform: Oratory/Awareness, or Games: Sadane/Awareness against TN 15. Success on this roll earns one Tea or Wine Point (depending which side you have chosen), plus one additional Tea or Wine Point per raise.
Determining the Winners:
Ties will be broken by the number of Raises in Step 3; further ties broken by the roll total in that step.
Top scorers:
- The two characters with the most and the second-most Tea Points will each receive an elegant ceramic tea bowl. The lip of the bowl is trimmed with silver, commonly believed to tarnish in the presence of poison.
- The two characters with the most and the second-most Wine Points will each receive an elegant inlaid sake cup. The inside surface of the cup is chased with a design in silver, commonly believed to tarnish in the presence of poison.
- If the total number of Tea Points is higher than the total number of Wine Points, Tea is acclaimed as the Champion of Drinks. Conversely, if Wine Points are higher than Tea Points, Wine is acclaimed as the Champion of Drinks.
- The first and second place scorers for the winning side earn the courtesy titles of Right Captain and Left Captain of [Tea/Wine], respectively. This has absolutely no official force or mechanical effect, of course.
- Everyone who earned at least one Point for the winning side is given a drinkable trophy: either a small package of Silver Needles tea from the Scorpion mountains, or a small bottle of rich Brown Sugar Shochu brewed near Bayushi’s stronghold, depending on which drink is the victor.
Status: 3.0 
Heir 
Glory 3 
