For this race, Kotsume and some others who helped with the organization have distributed various flags in fifteen points around the Castle Town and the surrounding wilderness. Handing each participant a map marking where each set of numbered flags has been placed, she tells the participants that the race will consist on riding to each of the fifteen locations, in no particular order, getting one flag at each one, then return to the starting point with a full set of flags numbered from one to fifteen.
Observation thread here!Event Rules
Place: Castle town and surrounding wilderness
Horses for Participants: 7 horses (all rokugani ponies) are available, including Kotsume's Ryuusei. If more than 7 competitors show up, the rules are the same but we'll assume more heats happened!)
Spectators : As many as want to come watch and talk about stuff while waiting for the riders to return!
The race will consist of four Parts, as the competitors establish a connection with their horses and encourage them to run, spur them forward while keeping a firm grip and dealing with obstacles to avoid falling, find the best path to gather all fifteen flags, and finally rush back to the starting point. The rules for each of the four parts are explained below.
Part 1 - Earn trust or eat dust
Before the race even starts, the competitors must establish a good connection with their animals, encouraging them to build up speed and keep steady. Roll Animal Handling (Horses)/ Awareness at TN 10, and add half the result of your roll as SPEED POINTS. If you fail, you reduce 5 SPEED POINTS from your total as the apprehension between you and your horse hamper your efforts. Each Raise called to this roll adds 2 SPEED POINTS to your total if you succeed, but REDUCES 2 SPEED POINTS from your total if you fail.
Note that you can choose to keep lower dice in this roll. When rolling for Part 2, please note down in the description which dice you kept during Part 1, as this will affect the results!
Part 2 - Hold on tight or bid goodnight
As you proceed through the course through the wilderness for the flags, riding through the snow and mud on the riverside, you'll try to keep your horse galloping as fast as possible while also maneuvering it to avoid or jump over obstacles and keeping a firm grip to avoid falling or getting bucked off. Roll Horsemanship/ Agility at TN 15, and add the total of your roll as SPEED POINTS. If you fail, you reduce 5 SPEED POINTS from your total. Each Raise called to this roll adds 3 SPEED POINTS to your total if you succeed, but REDUCES 3 SPEED POINTS from your total if you fail.
If your total result on this roll (ignoring raises) is 5 or more lower than your roll in Part 1 (ignoring raises, and considering the dice you chose to keep), you fall from your horse during your progress through the course as you cannot control your horse well enough after encouraging it to dart forward! If this happens, you may roll an Athletics/ Reflexes or Athletics/ Stamina check at TN 20 to avoid the brunt of the fall. If you succeed, you fall on your feet or recover quickly, and as a result you avoid hurting yourself, but lose 10 SPEED POINTS. If you fail, you hurt yourself during the fall, losing 20 SPEED POINTS instead, and suffering a -3 penalty to all further rolls during the race.
Part 3 - Blaze a trail to lose your tail
While all participants received a map of the area around the castle showing where each of the groups of numbered flags is located, deciding on the best order to catch them and finding the best route to get to each of them is not a straightforward process. Roll one of Hunting (Trailblazing)/ Perception, Lore: Cartography/ Intelligence or a Void Ring roll at TN 15 to either find the best paths through the forest and snow, plan ahead for the best possible routes to take, or simply seek a connection with your surroundings instead of actively looking for or thinking about the best way to follow. Success adds half the result of your roll as SPEED POINTS, while failure adds no SPEED POINTS at all as you lose time finding the right trails and thinking about the path you should follow during the race. Each raise called to this roll adds 5 SPEED POINTS to your total if successful, but reduces 3 SPEED POINTS from the total if the roll fails.
Precise Memory applies to this roll if you use Lore: Cartography, but not otherwise.
Way of the Land for the Imperial City adds 0k1 to this roll.
Part 4 - Home straight - or sit and wait
After collecting all fifteen flags, it's time to make a final sprint back to the finishing line! Roll Horsemanship/ Willpower at TN 20. If you succeed, add the total of your roll as SPEED POINTS; if you fail, add half the result of your roll as SPEED POINTS instead. Each raise called to this roll adds 3 SPEED POINTS to your total if successful, but reduces 2 SPEED POINTS from your total instead if the roll fails.
NOTE: Using academic knowledge
You can choose to use Lore: Nature instead of the listed skill (but using the Trait listed in the event!) for any of the rolls in this Event, EXCEPT for the Athletics roll if you fall off your horse. However, the TN of rolls using Lore: Nature is higher and progressively increased, as relying on academic knowledge to perform practical activities is sub-optimal and almost certain to lead to problems at some point...
The TN of rolls using Lore: Nature is increased by 5 the first time the skill is used during the event, and by an additional 5 each time it is used after the first.
In other words:
First use of Lore: Nature: +5 to the roll's TN
Second use of Lore: Nature: +10 to the roll's TN
Third use of Lore: Nature: +15 to the roll's TN
Fourth use of Lore: Nature: +20 to the roll's TN
Rewards
Chai Kotsume will grant a reward to the three fastest riders (i.e. those with more SPEED POINTS!).
1st place: Invitation to visit Chai lands near the Great Western River to see some of the family's stables and talk to the family's horse breeders.
2nd place: A bamboo bangle in the style of the Daikawa tribe featuring a horse running and stylised symbols representing the blowing wind and the flowing water of a river.
3rd place: Invitation to a riverside ride to the Waterfall with Kotsume - riding double on Ryuusui, or on a borrowed horse (on D8 or D9).
There may be a small influence reward for the winner. That will depend on some things, but is worth mentioning!
