[NULL] Tao Utemaki, the Honorbound

Rich

Tao Utemaki, the Honorbound

Tao Utemaki is an electric samurai. They follow the code of bushido and provide unflinching service to their daimyo, the lord of the Neon Pagoda. Tao is a keen and confident warrior and enforcer of Giri.

Looks

Tao is an androgynous person who dresses in professional wear. They have an expressive face, watchful eyes and a wiry body. Tao is Japanese.

States

Armor and Harm

[Notes]

[Playbook Specific Mechanics]

HONORBOUND SPECIAL:
When the Honorbound shares a moment of intimacy with someone other than a target, be it physical or emotional, Tao later learns what Giri they owe other people and may ask them any one question from Absolution immediately, regardless if they have taken the move already or not.

Moves

HONOR:
When Tao feels reluctant to enforce or penalize someone who has not honored their Giri and try to levy a more lenient sentence, roll. On a 10+, Tao may choose one of these options. On a 7–9, choose one, but there will be harsh consequences for your reluctance.
„ Tao may make an exception for them and commute the penalty to someone else, as long as they have a good reason.
„ Tao may choose to accept Giri, Cred, or change the penalty altogether.

BOUND:
Whenever Tao begins a session without a task involving the enforcement of Giri that’s been broken, choose one from the following and the MC will work this task into the fiction as appropriate:
„ Infiltration or assassination
„ Retrieve or deliver
„ Lobby or sabotage
„ Safeguard or endanger

THE ART OF THE PURSUIT:
When Tao assimilates all the information they have available on a target, roll. On a 10+, generate 2 hold. On a 7–9,
generate 1. Spend that hold 1 for 1 when actively on the hunt for them in order to:
„ Discern their position or a weakness in their life to exploit in order to do so
„ Discern what security they may have or what kind of a threat they’d be
„ Discern their greatest weakness and strength
„ Discern what makes them feel safe or secure, and what makes them feel afraid

Gear

* Sword - Ancient Masterwork Sword (2 harm hand AP) engraved with the symbol of the Water kanji
* Flechette SMG - (2 harm close area reload loud)
* Armor - reactive cloth

Cybernetics

[Detail: How did you get your cybernetics? Did you: Kill for them, Steal them, Owe Cred, or owe Giri for them?]
Eye (3 tags): [options].
Ear (3 tags): [options].
Arm (1 tag): [options].
Leg (1 tag): [options].
Interface (1 tag): [options].
Chest (1 tag): [options].

Giri

[Detail: After you introduce your character, you may use the following bullet points to develop Giri relationships with other players if you so choose, or develop relationships of your own. Pull questions from your playbook]

Beliefs

[Detail: Create three Beliefs. If a Belief is tested this session, mark 1 XP at the end of the session. If a Belief gets you into trouble this session, mark 2 XP at the end of the session. If a Belief is erased and resolved or changed after being tested, mark 3 XP.]

1. My master is honorable and honest
2. Slaves are prisoners to their masters
3. When I am not working, I seek pleasure at every opportunity, to dull the edge on my soul.

Jam

Tao's Jam is enforcing Giri, (need to work with the MC to see how much Cred they make per enforcement task). Depending on each specific task, the amount of Cred get may change. Tao may also be fronted Cred in order to facilitate each task.

Rich

Improvement

[Detail: When you attempt something that benefits you and fail or when you gain XP from beliefs mark each box per 1XP you accrue. Grab the advancement list from your playbook.]

Rich

GIRI

Tao is the enforcer for The Neon Pagoda, the institute/organization that upholds Giri. When someone needs debts owed to them taken care of, this task falls to Tao.

The Neon Pagoda is unique because a prosperous marketplace, largely self-governing, has grown up around it.

The Neon Pagoda is revered because it is ingrained in society

Features of the surroundings and atmosphere of The Neon Pagoda:
† Music
† Holoscreens
† A tranquil dojo
† Personal liberty
† An impression of peace

Many people have come here over time, and some of them have become Tao's chosen friends. Detail 3 of them with a name
† Block, my barkeep
† Epoch, my lover
† Switch, my healer

Choose 3–5 circumstances that generate Giri in society and the penalties for breaking them.
Incurring Giri:
† If they offer you comfort.
† If you offend someone’s honor.
† If you make a mistake that harms another.
† When you give someone a possession with no cred exchanged
† When a mutual agreement is broken.

Tao didn’t create these penalties for breaking Giri but it is their responsibility to enforce them:
† Punitive violence
† Penance involving sacrifice

YOUR GIRI
Why is it important to Tao that they do this?
†† The owner rectified a situation where I was wronged, and my family/loved ones were.

Rich

RESERVED

Rich

Rich

GIRI QUESTIONS
After you introduce your character, you may use the following bullet points to develop Giri relationships with other players if you so choose, or develop relationships of your own.
* Mnemosyne knows why Tao enforces Giri, she has told no one. She has 1 Giri on Tao.
* Tao let Rostam off when he did not uphold his own Giri. I have 1 Giri on him.
* Havana and Tao have taken solace in each other in a time of great need. They each have 1 Giri on each other.
* If you trained someone to fend for themselves when you’re not around, you have 1 Giri on them
* Jasper has told Tao the precise origin of his object, which he has not told others. He has 1 Giri on Tao


From the GM:
It sounds to me like you spend quite a bit of cred on your lifestyle — but your work is quite regular. I'm going to say normal enforcer work is 1-cred per job unless your Daimyo has peculiar instructions, or an exceptionally difficult task. Specialty jobs will net you 2-, to 3-creds (dependent on the nature of the gig). Those jobs will only be available to you if your Daimyo is pleased with your service.

Rich

Sarah Pike info:
"My former boss was a man named Pajun. Pajun Laghari. He was the division head at Osprey Bionics for cyberbrain development and virtual visualization hardware. He's since taken up a CTO position at a "friend" of mine's pet project — his name is Dolby."

She bites her lip, clearly fighting back tears. "The only other people I even hinted at what I was up to was my gaming group, in a private chat: there's Dolby, on occasion, Greer, and a guy named Jasper — who is super sweet by the way. He'd never do anything like that. I can't see any of them stealing that tech — they're not like that. Greer might be a dick sometimes, sure, but they're honest people!"


From Intimacy with Mnemosyne:
GIRI:
I owe Jasper for keeping some secret of my subconscious from me for my benefit.
I owe Havana for comforting me with flow after breaking up with Sarah.
I owe the Oni for my cybernetics (they also provided my current sleeve.)

what pain do you hide away from others?
My mother betrayed me to enemies to save herself.

Adam

End of Session 1:
It's time to see how you did with your beliefs. The one belief I think was definitely tested was your segregation of your "working" self, and your "pleasure" self — particularly in the Nem scene. If you agree, mark 1 XP.

I could also possibly see "my master is honorable" coming into question, but not to the point that you feel it has been strained — what do you think?

Start of Session 2:
Any start of session moves?

Rich

Adam said:

End of Session 1:
It's time to see how you did with your beliefs. The one belief I think was definitely tested was your segregation of your "working" self, and your "pleasure" self — particularly in the Nem scene. If you agree, mark 1 XP.

I could also possibly see "my master is honorable" coming into question, but not to the point that you feel it has been strained — what do you think?

Start of Session 2:
Any start of session moves?

I agree the working and pleasure selves were in conflict.

I feel like "my master is honorable" was tweaked in the deal with him not wanting Tao to retrieve the equipment, and dealing with his son. I feel like the doubts were cast.
Also, I got so little XP!

As for opening session stuff:
BOUND:
Whenever Tao begins a session without a task involving the enforcement of Giri that’s been broken, choose one from the following and the MC will work this task into the fiction as appropriate:
„ Infiltration or assassination
„ Retrieve or deliver
„ Lobby or sabotage
„ Safeguard or endanger

Adam

That second one works for me! Take 2 then.

I'm going to swipe one of those BOUND tasks to kick off your next scene.