I like what I've seen of it.  Will spend more time later as I'm going through the main rule books and modules now and jotting down campaign ideas in my custom L5R notebook.  I even pre-ordered the two forthcoming products today. 

Thanks! I will fix the spelling error and the awkward sentence.

Initially, I was thinking Air and Water for ring choices, as they are both used in survival for training animals. The school suggestions for bushi suggested earth. So, I decided to compromise with earth, considering the idea that they are guards and defensive by nature, and when debating air versus water, I decided on water as water is adaptive and makes it easier to work in concert with their hound. 
 
Thanks! I was not sure if I was making it too weak - but I had seen some people talk about the action economy, and I did not want to break it too badly. I like your idea however.
I will definitely think about how to revise the school ability and mastery ability. 
I welcome any further suggestions or critique. 

Thanks! I currently have it updated with your naming, and your idea. 

I would probably call the Rank 6 ability "Go for the kill".

While most of my current preparation is for our PBP game, I am also still sketching ideas out for my ghost busting/paranormal game.  So I plan on rolling up a Mirumoto Daoist Blade, Kuni Purifier, and Toritaka Phantom Hunter as the core PCs, a heroic trio, so to speak, for you fans of classic Hong Kong cinema.  Their handler/lord will be a Seppun Astrologer, the Rokugan equivalent of Skinner, for you X-Files fans, albeit much more of a true believer in the supernatural threats facing the empire.

Adding to @Kiso critique, I get the whole economy of action thing and having a cohort that does additional actions being considered OP in this new age of tabletop RPG but I consider the Rank 6 ability too weak. The Samurai will already be able to attack and order the dog to attack if he stays in Water stance (which can bring its own problems, but still), so having a a Rank 6 ability that makes you spend a Void point just so your dog can attack along with seems a price too high for something you already can do since Rank 1, as long as you stay in Water Stance.
Can't recall right now if there's any Kata like this, but maybe something like, if your target is Immobilized, you or your dog can make an Attack action that causes a critical strike with severity equal to the weapon's deadliness + 5? Just tossing ideas around.

I like the concept and here are my initial thoughts:
I like the flavour text and the idea behind the school. The school ability is alright, but plain, I wished the ability would reflect more of the flavour text in it. The chosen techniques seems alright to me. What was your reasoning behind the ring choice?
Also in the side lines, "fience" should probably be fierce. And the sentence "The path of Okuri-uni is similar in the ronin who follow it" took me three tries to read it correctly.

Same. I used to be very big into large army games, but as I have gotten older, I have enjoyed smaller skirmish style ones, especially ones that involve more objectives than just killing the other team.

Personally, I would rather like some kind of character-focused skirmish game. 1-2 big hero models, 3-4 minor hero models, and maybe a dozen or so fodder the heroes must cleave through to reach each other. This seems to be the go-to battle setup in fictions, at least. 

I just made my first School, and I would appreciate any feedback.
It is a ronin bushi school that focuses on spears and guard dogs.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lQUws3zNputlEgoXNmstoNb85Po9pBRu/view?usp=sharing

You can purchase a digital version at
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/browser/filter/id/10109

Kakita Shijen was waiting for Horonigai under the peach tree. He thanked the Phoenix for her involvement in recovering his daughter's letters. "I wanted to speak to you," he added, "to warn you some rumours circulating around court. Specifically, rumours of your having some private relationship with the Scorpion Clan. There are also rumours of you approaching moneylenders in the capital about debts. Such matters are both gossip and, I am sure, baseless, but the Kakita have to pay attention to public opinion. Your thoughts?" Horonigai did her best to address the rumours, but struggled because she couldn't say why she was talking to the moneylenders, and her version of her meeting with Bayushi Dairu won't line up with Goriate's if the Kakita compare notes. Still, Shijen was well-inclined after her helping Kakita Shigo, and seemed inclined to take her at her word and accept her claims of ill-defined 'magistrate's investigations'. The third rumour was one that really got under her skin: apparently rumours were swirling about Soshi Giichi - a Soshi shujenga of significant talents and mysterious background - and his presence at the Bowman's Wager, combined with Kachiko's extensive betting on her. Supposedly some people were suggesting Giichi had somehow intervened in the competition to skew the odds in her favour. Then he asked about her obi. Horonigai was a little startled by the change in subject, but gave Shimon the same answer Kachiko had had - she was an orphan and had been found in it. "That's why I wanted to speak to you privately." Shimon said. "I recognise that fabric - indeed I may still have a kimono somewhere trimmed with it along the sleeves. The peach tree it depicts is the one under which we are sat. A bolt of fine silk was made with this pattern for the clan's representatives attending celebrations for the birth of His Highness the Crown Prince Hantei Sotorii, and distributed between the dressmakers for the various Crane samurai in the delegation. This was pretty big news, even if it was a starting point rather than an answer. With that news, she met Goriate and went to meet Kakita Ryoku...

As his nephew flew out of the ring, Hida Kyno was declared the winner, and with two wins that won him the whole tournament. Goriate was a bit sore from defeat (both emotionally and literally), but as he picked himself up he noticed Ikoma Anakazu smiling in a thoroughly disconcerting way. (The following is basically plagiarized wholesale from Winter Court: Kyuden Kakita. It just seemed appropriate)
A Seppun guard materialised at the perimeter of the ring, bowed deeply to Kyno and waited with infinite patience... "Eh?” Kyno asked “Why are you here, Seppun-sama?”
"You are the victor." The Seppun replied. "It is time for your reward. The Hantei awaits."
"The Hantei?" Kyno laughed triumphantly. "This must be some prize!"
The Seppun looked momentarily confused. "Do you not know? The winner of the Sumai competition has the honour of performing the buguka for the Emperor."
Kyno's jaw dropped in horror. "Buguka?" Kuroda asked. "A dance? I don't dance!"
Ikoma Anakazu chuckled, off to one side. "Then I suggest you learn."
Goriate took a few seconds to process this...along with a fact that a better martial arts roll would have had him stood in his Uncle's place.  He was, of course, proud of his Uncle's success and was certain he would acquit himself equally well in this new opportunity he had been honoured with. He was so proud, in fact, that his first response on leaving the stage was to instruct Syu to bring paper, ink and brush so that he could write immediately to his Aunt and be certain of being the first to inform Kuni Haruna of the great honour her husband had won...  
After the crowds started to disappear, Uiri took the opportunity to talk to Shinjo Takuya directly. The various match-makers had come back with supportive noises, but he wanted to talk to the Unicorn in person. Takuya wasn't opposed to the idea of joining the Dragon by marriage if his father approved, but had no desire to live in 'craggy mountain fortresses far from the plains and anywhere to ride' - essentially his support for the idea would be contingent on a posting to a position outside the Dragon Clan heartlands. Meanwhile, the match-maker making inquires about Iuchi Shahai had apparently been taken quietly to one side by a very scary Ide and essentially told that if the subject of a betrothal for Shahai were raised again - especially publicly - the individual in question would shortly be leaving Kyuden Doji, via the cliff-top. No context to the threat was offered, leaving Uiri both intrigued and concerned. Still, one out of two isn't bad. Uiri was still trying to weigh up how bad an idea pursuing Rumiko would be.  
Then a note arrived, inviting Hida Goriate and Kaito Horonigai to take tea with the Lady of Winter herself later that evening. The more also stated , Kakita Shijen, Shigo's elderly father, also sought a chance for a private discussion with Horonigai in the clifftop gardens where she had won the Bowman's Wager, shortly before her meeting with Kakita Ryokou.  "Wait...why me?" "You're pretty much going to have to go ask Him."

So...the big contest was the Sumai - held in the reception hall of Kyuden Doji's keep.  There were six contestants Goriate included - with Dori, the head of the Shinseist order, adjudicating. Other than Hida Goriate, these were: Shiko Takuya - a young Unicorn samurai that Uiri had picked out as a possible candidate for adoption into the Dragon Shiba Katsuda, daimyo of Nikesake and father of Tsume Itsuyo of Kyotei Castle. Kitsuki Yuikimi, the former Topaz Champion. Ikoma Anakazu, the Ikoma Daimyo. Hida Kyno, Goriate's uncle. The contest began with a formal blessing, followed by three elimination bouts, each as opposed martial arts (unarmed) checks. Kyno beat the young Takuya easily, before Yuikimi surprised the crowd by sidestepping and throwing the more experienced Katsuda with what Uiri identified as some of Togashi Ume's techniques. Goriate's bout against Anakazu nearly went wrong - the Lion launching himself forward with an aggressive burst of power that drove the crab back several paces - but whilst his initial roll was one success shy of the Ikoma's four, his Large Stature kicked in. Finally planting a heel firmly less than a finger's width from the rope, he first stopped Anakazu dead then began pushing him back, slowly but inevitably. With the three 'finalists' selected, each would face one another in sequence. Kyno and Yuikimi squared off first, this time the Kitsuki's tricks weren't up to the job and - whilst the result was a lot closer than Shinjo Takuya's bout - she was eventually forced out by the massive Hida. Yuikimi then faced Goriate - this was a much closer match, but since Mirumoto Uiri and Goriate have recently bought their comrade's bond up to rank 2, and Uiri has martial arts (unarmed), Goriate was able to use You Taught Me This to get skilled assistance, equalling the effect of Yuikimi spending her void point. The end result was...a draw. The two locked together; Goriate's greater reach and strength from his Large Stature and higher earth ring balanced by Yiukimi's better technique from her higher skill rank. The second round was fought without dice 'boosts' - Yuikimi had spent her void and Goriate wanted to keep his other use of You Taught Me This for his Uncle. Goriate won - just - but at two successes to one in a second round it clearly came down to the crab proving slower to tire. Finally, Goriate squared up against his uncle Hida Kyno. It was agreed his Large Stature wouldn't count in this bout as Kyno's brother was who Goriate had inherited his height from, and neither crab samurai had a real advantage. Kyno had the better stats, but Goriate had a few Dragon-style tricks taught by Uiri with You Taught Me This. He launched himself forward aggressively, hoping to catch his Uncle off balance.  
This did not go to plan, with a final score of six successes to one in favour of Hida Kyno...

This has been the greatest thread and I am so excited to watch it continue. I feel like I learned a lot from these breakdowns 

This has been the greatest thread and I am so excited to watch it continue. I feel like I learned a lot from these breakdowns 

Horonigai and Suiren - under the pretext of checking if anything was needed - went to speak to Ikue and Hatsuko respectively, and - through flashing Famously wealthy and an impressive string of explosive successes, plus the fact Suiren was a Shosuro and rumour had it Horonigai might be working for Kachiko, they got the two Trisha to talk more-or-less openly.    What they eventually determined was that it was - as they'd assumed - Bayushi Mei Lin who had arranged to have Ikue apprenticed to Hatsuko, though Hatsuko had never spoken to Bayushi Kachiko or her aide directly on the subject; Bayushi Tsubasa had acted as go-between before he was dismissed from the capital. A few months after their visit to Slow Tide Harbour, a scorpion samurai - he'd never given his name (presumably not Tsubasa as he hadn't known their names when they met him) - from the capital had come nosing around in the wake of the magistrates. On finding out that Goriate had paid for an appointment with Ikue, he'd brought her back to the capital with him, and she'd found herself apprenticed to Hatsuko. And yes, she was supposed to 'recognise' Goriate when she encountered him, and cause a public scene in front of the Kakita and third party witnesses, the more senior the better. She had spoken to Bayushi Mei Lin directly, not that a junior maiko's word was worth anything, and was left with the very clear impression that not going along with the plan would be a terminal experience for her.  Getting Goriate off the Chancellor's barge avoided the problem for now, but Bayushi Mei Lin would probably try again. What they needed was to have Ikue 'disappear', which would need Hatsuko's help (or at least tacit approval).  Fortunately, it turned out they knew something Bayushi Mei Lin didn't. Based on what Ikue told them, she - and Mei Lin - were under the impression the magistrates had been in Slow Tide Harbour as a favour to Kakita Riku. That means Mei Lin didn't know that Kakita Yoshi had ever been involved (and Horonigai had no intention of telling the geisha that!). Which meant there was no real pretext for Mei Lin using Kachiko's authority and dragging Hatsuko into what was clearly a personal feud. Having her maiko involved in a scandal would be embarrassing for the senior geisha, and discovering Mei Lin's reassurances of Kachiko's support were made without consulting the Imperial Advisor left her in no mood to help Mei Lin. It also left her in no mood to keep Ikue around where Mei Lin might in future try to engineer the scandal whether she liked it or not. What Suiren and Horonigai eventually agreed was to have Ikue disappear as soon as possible, but have Hatsuko dissemble, at least until the end of Winter Court, to avoid Bayushi Mei Lin realising this.  So that Hatsuko didn't end up out of pocket, Suiren agreed to buy out Mei Lin's contract - Horonigai had a small bag of koku left from the prizes from the Bowman's Wager as a promissory down payment, and the PCs had been promised a sizeable stipend from the Ruby Champion to relocate to Hirosaka - taking enough out of that to buy out the young maiko's contract might cause them to be short of funds down the road but it wouldn't bankrupt them by any means, and it meant the Famously Wealthy Suiren wouldn't have to touch any Shosuro family funds that someone connected to Mei Lin might inspect.  
That did leave Suiren's player with an awkward but important question: "Okay, Suiren has bought exclusive rights to a junior maiko; now what?" "What do you mean?" "Well...if you're not leaving her with Hatsuko, which would kind of ruin the point, once she's done hiding out wherever you stash her for a week or so, she's going to need somewhere to live...food...a place to work... and she is ultimately considered a hinin, so there's not many options legally open to her." "So Suiren essentially just bought a person?" "Pretty much. You can't really 'free' her because she doesn't cease to be hinin by buying out her contract; it's a social caste, not 'just' an indentured servant."  
"...may not have fully thought this through in advance. Feeling very conflicted about this situation."

With that, Uiri went to talk to the various match-makers: hardly a pleasant experience but less stressful than the one he'd just left. The overall impression was that it wasn't going well. They'd produced a decent list of unattached young samurai but whilst, for example, Horonigai's daimyo Kaito Kosori, or the newly-minted Kitsu Tsubasa were available and politically connected, it was unlikely they'd consider marrying into the Dragon. Tsume Itsuyo would be highly unlikely to consider changing clan again, and no-one wanted to use the word 'Betrothal' around any immediate relative of either the Unicorn champion or Ikoma daimyo. Match-makers being what they are, they were mostly thinking in terms of securing either political alliances or dowry, rather than 'we need warm bodies'. The former flawed assumption wasn't being helped by Uiri's alienation from his immediate family, and the latter by his rumoured financial problems. Yes, a marriage contract with someone important could include a stipulation that children followed the Dragon parent but that would be a tough sell, a drawn-out negotiation and, as Uiri's player put it "that's a solution for a couple of decades, not for now." By comparison, Lion, Phoenix and Unicorn samurai more likely to accept marrying in to the Dragon were somewhat thinner on the ground. The first name on the list, as it happens, was Ikoma Rumiko. "Can we leave the trained assassin only on nothing beyond the 'maybe' pile for the moment?" - Uiri's player. The best two prospects were a pair of Unicorn samurai - Shinjo Takuya, son of a wealthy samurai from the northwest plains, and Iuchi Shahai, youngest child of the Iuchi family daimyo. He instructed the match-makers to open discussions with the Unicorn about both parties. It's worth noting at this point that of my players, only Goriate's player reads the FFG L5R fiction regularly. Horonigai's player does occasionally but obviously the name failed to twig. Goriate's player on the other hand may have been drinking at the time and all credit to him for (1) maintaining separation of player and character knowledge and (2) suppressing an impressive coughing fit after about half a glass went down the wrong way.  
He has not elaborated further to the other players. I suspect he sees this as an opportunity for some minor revenge on Uiri after all the enjoyment the latter derived from watching with his betrothal to Riku unfold...  
Talking of Riku, she'd been investigating Doji Torikago whilst the PCs met 'Dairu'. Apparently he'd had only one serious rival for his posting to the Palace: Daidoji Oda. Interestingly, Oda wasn't Crane by birth but by marriage, originally being a graduate of the Ikoma bard's school. Rumour had it he felt that he's never been truly accepted by the Crane and he was denied the position for his lack of 'proper' Crane blood, not because Torikago was the better poet. This warranted a closer look, which - after a bit of debate - was agreed to include a bit of light breaking and entering by Shosuro Suiren to search Oda's rooms. Fortunately, it was known that everyone who was anyone - specifically including Oda - was heading to the lake for the Poetry competition, so the Scorpion should have a fairly clear run.

This prompted a fairly vocal out-of-character discussion. Normally more than I'd allow - Daisetsu is stood right there and there's only so much meaningful glances can convey, but this was a rather important moment. Highlights as follows: "What the heck?" "What do we say?" "Why are you asking me?" At this point Suiren started singing the "I'm not there, I'm not there, I'm not there...." song. This is a bit of a tradition in our group when the party has split up and one group has walked into a really awkward situation and/or announced a really stupid plan. This was not well received. "So...What? We tell him?" "We cant. He's a young teenage Prince who's been raised on tales of heroes saving the day, many of whom he's directly related to." "And?" "The Kolat are serious. They have absolutely no problem murdering the heck out of anyone who gets in their way, and we think they have at least one agent-in-place of similar standing to the Emerald Champion. Do you want him and his scorpion buddy forming a 'Scooby Doo mystery gang' and looking for clues? What do you think his life expectancy is if he does that?" "Well, we can't exactly just lie to him. He knows something already, not to mention that he's an Imperial Prince and I'm a Dragon. If I tell him a direct lie I lose so much honour I think my sword spontaneously jumps out of its scabard and disembowels me." The magistrates - specifically Horonigai - ended up answering the "who are the Kolat?" fairly honestly, if talking in the abstract, on the assumption that was a question he could get answered elsewhere if they refused to answer, but him asking the wrong person could have horrible consequences. Daisetsu took it fairly well. Anyone who's listened to story's featuring the Shadowlands and the War Against Fu Leng knows Taint can corrupt a person and turn them evil but the idea that an uncorrupted person might sit down and calmly decide "you know, the entire Hantei dynasty really needs to die..." is a big ask to accept for a born Prince.  Without the PCs knowing, just over a year has passed since Sotorii and Dairu's duel, and Daisetsu has heard rumours in the last few days about his father taking Sotorii to task about the theft of the netsuke, so Daisetsu's perception of the 'innate moral and spiritual superiority of the Hantei dynasty' is perhaps a bit threadbare at the moment. The second part of the question was far more of an issue. They were stuck between not lying to a Prince of the Realm, and not undermining their Lord's testimony to the Emperor. This wasn't helped by them not knowing exactly what Daisetsu knew already - since he'd pointedly known to ask them, it was a fair bet it wasn't just an out of context word. Horonigai eventually settled on an approach of "all of this is true" and hoping no-one noticed it wasn't the whole truth: she didn't know what Champion Sumiko and the Emperor had discussed. The PCs had been part of an investigation into Satsume's death, which had returned a verdict of natural causes. During the investigation, a Kolat agent within the Emerald Fortress had been uncovered, resulting in an attempt on the life of the Ruby Champion herself (Sumiko had never actually forbidden them to talk about the attempt to kill her, just Satsume's murder). Obviously, Sumiko had survived, sadly the would-be assassin hadn't. Lacking any clue where he had come from, this was being kept strictly secret and the PCs really, really needed Daisetsu's help in this. One wrong whisper between trusted friends overheard by a third party, and either the Kolat would vanish or the people looking for them would. It took a hard sentiment check to persuade the Prince to play along. Fortunately Horonigai has the benefit of the Phoenix's relative indifference to Sincerity, a good sentiment rank and Famously Honest - an advantage which ironically is very useful when lying! They ended up having to promise to keep the Prince 'informed' - something unanimously agreed to mean telling him the names of Kolat suspects after they were safely dead. Matters were left with Daisetsu not exactly a 'friend' or 'ally' like Ishikawa but at least a potentially useful contact - if one could actually arrange to speak to him. The PCs took the opportunity to exit stage (well, greenhouse) left, with the Seppun captain glaring at them for daring to be closer to the Prince than him whilst armed with anything more dangerous than a fruit peeler. There was a general sense of 'thank heavens that's over' - not, of course, that it had actually happened, officially speaking. This led to a slightly comic moment later, when Kakita Riku, who much like the PCs has a NEVER TRUST THE SCORPION CLAN EVER reflex, asked Goriate what Bayushi Dairu (who had been their nominal host!) had wanted, and it took a while for Goriate to realise what she was talking about...

At this point there was what Horonigai's Player described as "all the bowing", as the PCs collectively tried to suppress a freak-out - which wasn't helped when the Prince invited them, each by name, to join him and Dairu-san at the table. After all the nervousness, though, things went fairly well. Dairu and Daisetsu - despite their astronomically higher status - are pretty much of an age with the PCs, and neither seemed intent on socially intimidating them. It quickly became clear that Shizue's efforts had the Prince seeing the young magistrates as "big **** heroes", which meant he was as welcoming as protocol (and Ishikawa's professional glare at them over his shoulder) allowed. They could almost be said to have enjoyed the experience, which - thanks to Dairu - had been more or less discrete rather than in full glare of the court. Those readers with a paranoid streak will be waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, so - it turned out - was Uiri's player. When it did, it was a bit of a clanger...  
An attendant materialised and removed the tea set, and then Daisetsu asked if he could speak to the magistrates in private. Horonigai, with her higher vigilance, noticed a friendly 'get lost!' gesture from the Prince to his Scorpion Clan friend, and Dairu took his queue and left. Outside, the Bayushi guards fell into lockstep behind him and marched off, as two Seppun guards took their place, materialising from...frankly, who knows where? There was a hantei prince in the room, as Goriate noted. Best to assume the Seppun had enough soldiers within shouting distance to hold off a small battalion. ...And then Hantei Daisetsu stood up - followed as soon as they realised by the magistrates! - and asked Ishikawa to step away too. He really, really wasn't happy, but Daisetsu made it a direct order. The Seppun Captain complied, in no small part thanks to their Ally advantages, but they could still tell he was weighing up how close he could justify considering 'privacy'. Eventually he settled for the inside of the greenhouse doors, back-to-back with the Seppun guardsman outside. "I have a secret to tell, and a question to ask." The Prince began. "I must ask you to keep a confidence." ...There's not a lot you can say except 'yes' at that point, so they did.  
"There is a place in my Father's palace; a balcony above a sand garden, where one can see into the Emperor's study. The Seppun ensure that few gain access to it for that reason. They know I sometimes watch my Father conduct the business of court with officials like the Imperial Herald or the Jewelled Champions; eventually I will be expected to join the ranks of the Otomo family's courtiers, but for now they try to keep me at arm's length. But I do not think many of them know everything Dairu-san and I have discussed..." The magistrates just waited. "...such as his talent for lip-reading."  
 
"I am no expert, but it does mean occasionally I 'hear' something other than what the Miya and Otomo choose to tell me. In this case, some fragments of one of Champion Sumiko's reports to my Father, which she gave just after your appointment as magistrates. My question is this: who are the 'Koh-laht', and why were they being spoken of in the context of Satsume-sensei's death?"  

The following morning, the magistrates headed to the Kyuden Doji greenhouse. Beforehand, Uiri arranged to follow up with the match-makers, whilst Goriate asked Riku to look into Doji Torikago: if he was the person being blackmailed, logically the thing he had someone might want was his appointment to the palace guest house. Goriate anf Riku made some enquires to find out who he'd beaten for the post, which Riku would finish up whilst the magistrates went to meet the Scorpion. Suiren, by comparison, had succeeded in convincing Doji Shigeru to add an Oromo character to The Tale of the Fisherman's Daughter. However Suiren then needed to find someone to play the part. Shigeru declined (because, though he didn't say this, he would be in character as Shike).  Suiren suggested Rumiko. After spotting a fellow "professional" he seems rather intrigued by her. The issue was that whilst gender isn't much of an issue in Rokugan in the abstract, 'Otomo' was a specific historical individual. The character ultimately became a generic courtier representing the Otomo family.  That still left the issue of Rumiko's old role, the Island Spirit. Lady Shike could take the role easily, but that would leave Doji Mioko's part open... Suiren hadn't actually intended this, but was pretty quick to grasp what that might mean, with two young ladies with influential families both angling to portray themselves as the obvious choice for the next empress present in court at once... Horonigai, somewhat anticlimacticaly, spent downtime in the fantastical gardens, indulging a passion for nature in an attempt to get rid of some strife. The magistrates headed for the greenhouse, whilst Suiren went to talk to Ikoma Rumiko. This was an interesting meeting, with the two 'actors' talking indirectly about their professions, and can basically be summed up as "I know." "I know." "I know you know." "You knew?" "You didn't know I knew?" "I knew, and I assumed you knew, but I didn't realise you knew I knew you knew." "Wait...are we still talking about Me or You?" "...I don't know."  With that...cleared up...The two totally-not-shinobi took breakfast, and seemed to get on fairly well. Suiren was intrigued at a non-scorpion not-a-shinobi - Rumiko saying she'd served briefly with the Lion clan armies (hardly surprising) as a 'scout' before finding her calling on the stage. Rumiko also grasped the possible impact of freeing up the role of Mioko, but filed it away rather than raise it with Suiren right now. Meanwhile elsewhere, the other PCs arrived at the greenhouse.  The greenhouse adjoined the castle's bathhouse, using the same furnace room to provide heat. Sheets of glass were held in a bamboo and steel frame, and condensation could be seen on the inside where warm, damp air met glass chilled by the winter air. Inside, heat-loving plants from the south and the tropical islands of spice and silk flourished, creating a carefully manicured artificial jungle. Two guards in Bayushi colours stood at the door, but bowed and made way for the magistrates, opening the door. Inside, heat and humidity hit the magistrates like a wall. A table with a tea set and small food had been set up near the entrance, and the young Bayushi Dairu sat at the table preparing a simple tea ceremony, with Seppun Ishikawa stood nearby. The players were still nervous of Dairu - NEVER TRUST THE SCORPION CLAN EVER and all that - but were happy to see a friendly face. Or at least an impassive expression on a face of someone they liked. Then Horonigai registered the Seppun captain was standing, one hand resting calmly on the grip of his daisho in 'bodyguard mode', rather than being seated at the table like a guest would normally be. Ishikawa was watching a third figure observing some tropical flowers on the far side of a spray of ferns. A certain nasty suspicion started to form moments before the figure walked back into the clearing, revealing the face of Bayushi Dairu's other 'guest' - His Highness Prince Hantei Daisetsu, Heir Secondary to the Imperial throne.  
"Squeeble."

The eventual plan turned out to be less horrifying than some players had suspected: Suiren wanted to talk to Aramoro arrange a discussion with Bayushi Kachiko, as head of the Scorpion delegation, as he had an idea to help boost the clan's standing with the Otomo. Kachiko's yojimbo weighed the actor up, and agreed he would allow him to speak with her after the ceremony - she was taking tea with Otomo Sorai, the Otomo Daimyo, so the timing would be perfect. Meanwhile, Shizue had finished, and the magistrates came forward to polite applause (The two bushi each holding a sword) to present their prize to Hiruma Yoshino. There was suitably respectful applause from all round the room, including from the Imperial dais. This was, to be fair, a big social high point for the PCs, but their players were mostly just worried about screwing up the pre-agreed ceremony in some way. Fortunately, despite Goriate leading the performance check, they didn't. After the ceremony was concluded, the PCs scarpered, and discussed where to take their respective tasks and investigations. With regards to the Mantis Clan invitation, they felt like they'd reached a bit of a dead end: if someone above Koryusai had overruled him behind his back it must logically be someone of higher status, which meant their ability to pressure them or scrutinise their actions would be very limited. The other suggested route Kakita Ryoku had offered was to investigate the invitation itself - if it hadn't originated from Oromo Koryusai it would be interesting to look at the handwriting and seal. Horonigai decided to get in touch with Susano-O no Hitoshi - she sadly wasn't able to talk him into helping, but also had sufficient air opportunities that she didn't raise his suspicions about what she'd been after whilst doing so.  Suiren went to see Bayushi Kachiko. Aramoro met him in the hall outside, and pointedly searched him and took his weapons, including his Sekihitsu. No pretense of 'cleaning' or 'displaying' his property was made.  Horonigai's player was slightly aggrieved this hadn't happened to Horonigai when she'd met the Imperial Advisor. Suiren's player pointed out that this presumably means he hadn't considered Horonigai a potential threat to Kachiko - and not being considered a 'threat' to the Shinobi assassin's stalker-level obsessive crush was probably a good thing. Kachiko and Sorai were relatively welcoming but mostly curious. Suggestion was comparatively low-key: the Tale Of The Fisherman's Daughter was a 'reimagining' of the classic tale, so there was freedom to reinterpret or expand on details of the story. For example, when Lady Doji no Kami sought the "best young women in the Empire", the samurai of the Crane failed to find Doji Mioko, and it was not until Hantei-no-Kami himself was passing through the Crane lands that they saw or heard one another. The legend does not record why the Emperor happened to be passing that village - supposing his route stemmed from the advice of Otomo, one of his two most trusted retainers? That could cast a fundamentally different light on the story. Otomo Sorai was intrigued. Surien followed this by observing such a reinterpretation might make him...unpopular...with the Crane. He would, of course, be happy to accept any 'blame' - Doji Shigeru would need a scapegoat to avoid landing the playwright in hot water with the Crane hierarchy, but having been cast in the part if Hantei-no-Kami, Surien could play the demanding and interfering primadonna to the hilt, and Shigeru could claim he "had no choice". If this were the case, it would be good for him to take a leave of absence from the major theatres - somewhere respectable but rural where a divisive eccentric might go to work on his next precedent-shattering play. Preferably...an Imperial holding? One with a respected Noh or Kabuki company? Hirosaka, perhaps? Sorai seemed a fan of the idea - not least because it came at little to no cost to him - and said he looked forward to seeing the play. With that, he left, leaving Surien and Kachiko to talk privately. When asked 'why Hirosaka', Surien went with one part truth - he'd been asked by his cousin to assist three junior magistrates, who were now being assigned there  - and one part lie - that he wasn't aware of anything exceptional about the place. Kachiko appeared to take the statement at face value, but who knows if he was believed? Meanwhile, as head of the Scorpion delegation, Kachiko had instructions for him. She wanted him to 'investigate interesting rumours' she had heard about the parentage of a member if the Mantis delegation, Susano-O no Hitoshi. Provided it was not traced back to her, there was no need to be 'overly discrete' in discussing this rumour. This does sort of put Surien at odds with the magistrates, which is something the players will have to figure out; discharging this duty (these were actual orders and he is, after all, scorpion) without messing up Hitoshi's life and causing trouble with Kakita Toshimoko - and for Goriate, if he's connected to someone kicking up a scandal and Yoshi hears about it. It will also put him in a position where the other PCs may have to discuss their biggest in-character secret from him: Doji Satsume's ghost.

Technically she didn’t, because every Phoenix can attest that the Kaito are not  shugenja, so they can’t coax a kami. A kami just decided to help her in her hour of need. Who gad this idea anyway? It was really well thought, and probably is going to ban the Kaito from future archery competitions 😂

I’m aware of the in-game mechanics, I’m just saying in respect to the lore.

Yes. Remarkably, it did. This was not part of the plan. Being in the top four was impressive, but coming second was a much less appealing prospect, as it involved being presented with a drink from the 'Cup Of Defeat', which may or may not be cursed. After the events of Mask of the Oni, 'ancient relic which may or may not be cursed' is something Horonigai takes seriously.  
Whilst Horonigai focused on not hyperventilating, Goriate and Uiri went to talk to Agasha Sumiko. "I have decided that after a year of service as Emerald Magistrates, you deserve a permanent posting of your own. Since Seppun Ishima of Hirosaka has responsibility for overseeing both the town itself but also the outlying villages, she would likely welcome the assistance." Goriate thanked her, but the Ruby Champion hadn't finished. This 'opportunity' was effective immediately from the end of Winter Court. The PCs would be given a stipend to relocate and set up a household. Also, Shosuro Suiren would need to find some pretext to join them - that wasn't Sumiko's responsibility. This was in no way connected to Sumiko's discussions yesterday with the Crane's host, Doji Kuwanan, who had announced his intent to carry out his own 'independent investigation' into the death of Doji Satsume, against - so rumour had it - the direct wishes of his sister, the Clan Champion. Sumiko was assigning the chief yoriki, Kitsuki Kage, to assist him. The PCs involvement would not be required, in any capacity. Furthermore, Sumiko hadn't chosen Hirosaka randomly. She had translated the copy of the  Kolat letter the PCs had recovered from Shiro Usagi, and it talked about the Kolat agreeing to a deal to support a local crime Lord in the town. Finding this crime boss might provide another point from which to try and track down the Kolat hierarchy.  "Oh. Great. This sounds like it'll be so much fun." - Goriate's PC.  
Tsurugi Kage and Kaito Horonigai  were ready for the final round of the wager - essentially competitive trick shots, first to fail or refuse loses. Kage went first: suggesting 'breakfast' - pointing at an old peach tree growing in a sheltered nook which still had a few last fruit and leaves clinging to its branches despite the chill. The Wasp archer said that the challenge was to cut a peach from the tree without disturbing any of the leaves.  This was agreed to be a TN4 Martial Arts (Ranged)/Air to knock the fruit down, plus at least one air opportunity to do it 'precisely' or 'subtly' enough not to damage any of the leaves surrounding it. Kage shot first, managing it easily enough. Horonigai's leftover TN reduction from the opportunity made it a more practical TN3, but 3 successes and an opportunity was still impossible without an explosive success or success/opportunity, and she had no void points left to use. Somehow, Horonigai managed it - but ate a load of strife in the process, not least from her Fear of Failure anxiety. Next, it was her choice. She got to set the challenge, but Tsurugi Kage was clearly the better archer, and Horonigai's player no longer had any dice-modifying tricks to throw. If he got to set another challenge, then it was cursed-wine-cup time.  Horonigai needed something Kage couldn't match... something like... her conversation with Kachiko about how "no-one knew anything about the Kaito" popped into her mind...  "I'll wager I can knock at least two of those targets to the floor," she said, pointing at the one of the targets from the early rounds, "with one arrow." Tsurugi Kage raised an eyebrow and made a 'go on, then' gesture. Horonigai drew an arrow - and touched it to her forehead, praying to the spirits to invoke Howl of Isora with Sacred Arrows, (critically getting the opportunity to trigger the 'push all targets one range band away' effect) then nocked and drew her daikyu. The shot itself was easy enough - a clean hit.  
Then her invocation detonated out from the arrow, ripping the target it was embedded in to shreds and sending the two either side flying several feet through the air.  Roughly half of those present, Tsurugi Kage included, had facial expressions which can best be summed up as "Umm...What...Just...Happened?!?!"