The Left Hand's Path - Crane Story Paths

[Kakita Ijiwaru]

[Doji Kitako]

Really happy with 3b, that's the Crane I know and love, and even if every single "seriously, this could end badly for you" possibility and worse came about, I couldn't think of a better way to earn some suffering.

Edit: Previously, I was honestly tempted by door number 2 even with the big 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!' sign. When the other two choices are "run awaaaay (to a position of weakness)" and "try to be the Lion," "fine, let's keep the trains running on time" starts to seem almost attractive.

[Kakita Ijiwaru]

Yes. I would like our path to be troubled.

[Kakita Kasukaru]

Option 3b all the way, of course!

[Daidoji Reiji]

I'll be voting 3B as well

[Doji Satevis]

3b, definitely.

[Asahina Dreamspoiler]

3b for sure.

Also, depending on how the other clans vote, I can see a potential alliance of Crane/Unicorn/Phoenix/Dragon, all taking a less direct confrontation of Kanpeki and focusing on preserving Rokugani culture/art/religion/non-combatants.

[Daidoji Tacticus]

I would be quite surprised to see the Dragon take their "Save the Brotherhood" path. It got basically no traction on their forums that I could see; my guess is that it will be between the Path of Balance (aka go around and Dragon at everyone until they are suitably confused) or the rewritten "save the Iweko" path that made a lot of its supporters unhappy.

A loose alliance between the other three seems very possible, though.

[Asahina Genichi]

While 3B sounds interesting, do we know if the story team will be taking the fictional geography and military tactics in mind when crafting the story?

Crane military doctrine has tended toward an Air/Fire mindset of retreat-stall-retreat-AMBUSH!/strategic attack/harass, suitable for light infantry and a dueling/attacking style that keeps people at bay and hits quick in the right spot. We're taking a path that's basically the Crab but without the benefit of a wall or any natural barriers and attempting to guard a track of land that's right in the middle of the empire. For an analogy, this is like the state of Tennessee in the United States trying to guard its borders from the rest of the states surrounding it.

Let me just go on the record and say that this is a bad idea. We are not the Crab, we are the Crane. Our military is strong, our swords are sharp and our spears are swift but we are not the Crab. We do not follow the way of Earth. We follow the ways of Air and Fire. We do not build fortresses of stone. We build castles of wood and let our enemies break their backs trying to take them, and then when they've overextended themselves we strike. We make friends of our enemies and friends of our friends and we show them it's in their interests to defend us. We fight, but more than that, we inspire. When Doji Konishiko went to face Fu Leng, she did so knowing that her father would protect Mirumoto's empire and her brother's soul would protect her. We should follow after her example and protect Mirumoto's empire, Kakita's empire, and Iweko II's empire.

A vote for 3B is a vote to change our identity. We go from being Crane to being a powder-blue hybrid of the Lion and Crab. We miss out on becoming an economic powerhouse, a naval powerhouse, a cultural powerhouse. Let us choose a path which adds to what we are, not transforms us into something we're not.

[Daidoji Tacticus]

What path are you recommending, then, that would better serve those goals?

(Also, I'd like to say - without any rancor at all! - that I am vastly amused to hear 3B described as turning the Crane into Crab-Lions, after all the argument that was exchanged over how Path 1 would turn into blue Lions. Just goes to show how differently people see things.)