Lotus Pond Dojo
(What makes a dojo? Most would say that a true "dojo" comes from the lands of the Orient, a place where, nestled between the stands of bamboo and fields of rice, students of this region sought in days of old to undertake an inward journey, a quest to find their potential through the martial arts.
In the days of old, the dojo was a place of strength, a community of fighters all learning every day, from the youngest white belt to the masters who taught them.
(But as the world grew older, the race of men grew more intelligent, building upon the teachings of their past and with the materials of their lands. Crude rafts made of sticks became barnacle-crusted vessels of wood and pitch and sail, and then powerful slicing ships of metal and smoke. The concept of a man taking to the air began as a dreamer's whimsy, became sketches of propellers and wings under the hands of a wise inventor, then turned into a rickety craft powered by the love of two brothers, finally taking flight as a biplane, and then huge commercial aircraft. With bits of plastic and wires, men became able to use the air to keep in contact with each other, and with their tools finally connected all the world together, for better or worse.
(In this age, nothing has to be stationary, or confined to one country. Connected, mankind can enjoy each others' culture, no matter where they may live. People are coming and going as regularly as the coming and going of the seasons... and, it turns out, some take their buildings with them.)
Colorado, the present, somewhere high in the Rocky Mountains. The Lotus Pond Dojo, a building the size of a Super Wal Mart. An equally large basement extends below, although no one has ever catalogued all the hidden passages...
(Tobuo Kakoemetsu is regarded by his students as the greatest teacher of ninjitsu to ever have lived, even though they usually can't name any others who hold that title.
Decades ago this old, humble master decided to leave his homelands and bring his gift to America... the gift of teaching ninjitsu. His reasons are yet unclear, although it's clear he loves to teach. His teaching manages to be both gentle yet unyielding, demanding utter obedience yet letting the spirit flourish. He is a master of his craft, and in training the most lethal assassins he instills in them the desire to preserve and protect life unless all else fails. A tall, old man, lithe and frail-looking, his eyes appear forever closed with age, but they crinkle kindly, and his gnarled hands never fail to offer whatever is needed, be it a spanking or a warm cup of saki.
(This man is your teacher. For reasons you've kept secret in your heart, you've sought his training when you were just a very young adult. For many years you have studied the arts of ninjitsu, and you don't regret a single day spent doing so.
Your belt has changed color many times, and we join you now a few days before you'll take your test to achieve the second highest rank at the dojo: the Red Belt, the Fledgling Ninja. In addition to your formal test, you must perform an act of ninjitsu.
Usually, students will go to the modern cities at the base of the mountains and perform acts of silent espionage, or a token theft from a heavily guarded safehouse (the goods are, of course, returned after you've shown them to Sensei Tobuo). You, however, have chosen a different tactic: you will sneak into the
Sensei's own storage room, nestled here within the school. Rumors among the students say your master keeps wondrous things in there: unbreakable swords that bond themselves to their masters, herbs that somehow allow a person to breathe underwater, and even nameless tools that true ninja masters used in the old days to perform nigh undetectable spy work. They say the things in there could let a man scale walls like a squirrel, slip through cracks like a snake, or even fly through castle windows. Even more the students don't know about could lie there as well. Your mission is to steal one of these tools and display it to your master the next morning.
You're not worried about his reaction; if you fail, he'll praise your initiative. If you succeed... well, you value your master's pride in you more than anything, and the vision of his proud smile fills you with hope. So, stretch your muscles and prepare, Orange Belt, and let us join you in your chambers as you prepare, on the night of your raid...)
Lotus Pond Dojo
Written by Mr.Peaches and the community of catprog.tfcentral.com
You finish tightening your black clothes down, making sure there's nothing that could get caught on anything. You're in your quarters--a small room lined with Japanese style. Your tatami mat is rolled up in the corner.
The light of a stand of candles you made yourself gives everything a warm yellow glow. Your heart is pounding; this is bold, what you're doing--very bold. Even though you tell yourself you won't get in real trouble if you're (probably) caught, you're anxious. I mean... this stuff is *bold.*
You shake your head and clear your mind of your fear, only to have the candle light catch your gaze. You're reminded of your recent dreams, off the subject of your raid but still important to you nonetheless. You were performing amazing ninjitsu feats in those dreams, but your body was... different, a little different every time you dreamt. The dreams always ended with a jet of fire streaming out of darkness and consuming you. As the dream repeated night after night, the fire went from feeling agonizing, then painful, then uncomfortable, then pleasant, then invigorating. A few of your closest friends have reported similar experiences. What does it mean? Does it mean anything? You've been meaning to discuss them with Sensei Tobuo, but you've been so focused on your studies that by the time you remember you wanted to talk with him, it's very late in the evening and he's retired to his chamber for sleep, although you half-suspect that he doesn't even need to sleep anymore. What a mysterious dream, though...
From the candlelight your eyes are drawn out the window to a tiny, tiny speck of brilliance on a hill far down the mountainside, on a totally different ridge. For days now, you and your fellow students have been secretly spying on a group of college-age people snowboarding in the mountains--six males and three females. You've gathered that one of them won some great sponsorship for something, and now they could afford to take their friends on the boarding trip of their lives. So that's what they were doing, and growing closer to the dojo by the day. Although you know they don't know it's there, vigilance is needed. The school is cunningly hidden against the boarders, although at the end of the day, people coming across the dojo aren't much of a big deal. If someone actually finds Lotus Pond,Tobuo usually treats the guest like a king and tries to recruit them to the school. More than one of your fellow students came that way.
But these players, the dream and the boarders, are distractions from your task at hand. Maybe Fate will bring them into your circle, and maybe not. You clear your mind and put out the candles. Standing in the cool night air just on the other side of your room's sliding paper door, you visualize your dojo. Both the upper and lower levels are the size of a Super Wal-Mart, filled with tight, twisting paths and rooms of all kinds.
The rooms are roughly arranged in a sort of bull's eye pattern: student rooms line the outside, a hallway runs between, another layer of rooms comes next, another hallway lies beyond those, etc. The stairs to the lower level lie in the center of the upper floor. You must make it to those stairs, down to the basement, and then search around for the room you've never seen.
Patrolling every hallway is one of your fellow students, training their senses to detect an intruder's approach. If you are seen, alarms will be raised and your task will fail. You can't, of course, use lethal force.
Most students will be trying to conceal themselves, as well. Every one that sees you will tell Tobuo that they did when you present the artifact from the Master's Room, lowering your "grade" and honor.
Thinking over the massive obstacles between you and your goal, you can't help feeling overwhelmed. But, on you will go.
[Now,] you think to yourself, [how to start...]
Written by Mr.Peaches on 18 July 2006
Hey, it's a cliche but if it works...
You grab your tool bag and climb out the window.
Your tool bag contains items such as a very thin but hard club (a present from your sensei after your third year), a bird call, your face mask and some clothed shoes to soften the sound of your footfall.
You climb up the building onto the roof to survey the area. You look around, and see no other people around the place, you also sense no-one around, but you have to cautious, or someone will see you.
You scale back down the building onto the ground, and silently run towards your goal. You see another person, but his back is towards you. You walk up behind him and give him a swift thump on the head with your club. He goes down like a ton of bricks, but more quietly. You cleverly hide the body in the bushes and continue in your quest.
You see the basement entrance, with someone guarding it. Do you take out the guard? Or do you distract him and sneak in when he has left his post?
Written by underdrag on 19 July 2006
My Pants... They are Aflame
In the lantern light like a silhouette stands a gangly figure emitting frosty puffs of breath. You gage him to be Moses Rehoboam, a disallusioned teacher/nature enthusiast that stumbled upon the dojo some five years ago, when you were just barely into your teens. Although he's quite the gentleman, he has a reknowned discomfort talking about women and women's "needs," something you decide to exploit.
Boldly, you give up stealth and approach Moses openly, jogging lightly to give the impression that you're in a hurry.
"Moses! Hey!" You call softly. He turns to you surprised.
"Oh, it's you. Hello there," he says, then grows more suspicious. "What are you doing outside this late at night?"
Going for broke, you grab the shoulders of his suit and lean him into you conspiritorily. "Don't spread this around," you say confidentially, "but me and my friend Setsa were hiding out in the Inner Gardens when, oh, how shall I put it..."
Moses starts to get an inkling of what's going on, and you feel his shoulders tense.
"...It's her 'time of the month.'" you finish.
Moses frowns behind his mask.
"That doesn't have anything to do with why you're here. Aren't there... erm... supplies upstairs?"
"Not enough," you reply, "It turns out Setsa's time hit right as we clean ran out of 'stuff' upstairs. We've got some downstairs, and--"
Throwing your voice, you place a feminine moan a fair distance away. Moses blanches.
"Oh, man!" you cry.
"She can't hold it much longer! I gotta get down to the basement, Moses!"
Moses practically breaks the sound barrier getting the door open. The basement is yours.
As you start down the steps, you turn to him one more time.
"Oh, and Moses," you say, "Setsa's kind of embarassed about all this fuss, so..."
"Nobody needs to know. Got it. Now... please go."
The door closes behind you and your extremes start un-numbing themselves. A long hallway lit with several fat candles lies before you. Your journey to the Master's chamber is half-way complete. But be careful; that little tampon trick won't work again.
Written by Mr.Peaches on 30 July 2006
Just Take a Look, It's in a Book...
The smell of cedar lightly burns your nostrils as you proceed, almost afraid to draw breath. The smoke from the candle whirls and whorls, and the flame causes you to remember your dream, if only for a second. No time for such distractions now! Luckily this lower level doesn't have the fake panels that the upper does, but it's going to be almost impossible to hear approaching students; even the lowest-ranking ninja can be tricky to hear...
Thankfully, you catch a reprieve when you reach the library. Stashing some of your more official ninja gear beneath your clothing, you pull out a book on the bo staff, which the other students know you've been trying to pick up lately. Until you can think of a better plan, you've got a water-tight alibi as to why you're up so late.
Unlike the top level, set with rooms in circular patterns, this bottom level has rows of rooms with aisles in between... long aisles perfect for fellow students to sight down. Add the large area of ground to cover and the fact that... no one really knows where the secret room is... and you've got yourself a little pickle for yourself. Of course, you are in the library... what better place to find a clue as to the hidden room's whereabouts?
Written by Mr.Peaches on 19 November 2006
