[Day 1, Early Evening] Stars in Their Multitude

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

Uminushi's head swings toward the Usagi as a roguish smile crosses his face. "Yes, Usagi-san. There are also accounts of islands that come and go with the mists. It is said that a man who remains on such an island when the mists clears, also disappears with it."

[Usagi Zenko]

"M..m..maybe they're the same things? How could you tell the difference between a mist island and a turtle island?" he asks, if only to keep those two horrible things down to only one horrible new terror on the ocean.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them were," he answers amiably and with a slow shrug of his shoulders, "But the main difference I've heard is that the mist ones disappear with the mists. Obviously the other one just swims away."

[Usagi Zenko]

He nods, taking in that information with a gulp. "Hai, Captain-sama." He looks out at the ocean again, and then to his fellow students. "My apologies, exceptions to navigational rules are probably not the focus tonight."

He also may scoot away from the rail a little further, but he could just be getting more comfortable.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"They're interesting nonetheless," the Captain replies amiably, "But, yes, the lesson. Who can name and point out the seven recognized celestial bodies in Rokugani for me?"

[Usagi Zenko]

He nods to the Captain's words, then looks up at the sky, trying to focus on it more than the possibility a giant turtle might have them as a snack.

"Hmm..." he turns about, trying to get his bearings on the night sky.

[Usagi Zenko]

"Well...I think I recognize an Isawa..." he says finally, smiling and pointing up at the elevated Junpei. "The others seem a little different...but is that the River of Stars?" he asks, changing his pointing hand to a band of closely gathered stars in one section of the sky.

[Hida Musasha]

Yeah, Musasha definitely was not cut out for this. He was so accustomed to the gloomy cloudy skies and fog of the Sea of Shadows, that he scarcely could make anything of the stars, let alone imagine pictures and people drawn from them.

"Hmm... What do they look like? Are they big bright stars?"

[Asahina Narumi]

This is something that the priestess can do.

"That isthe River of Stars with the cowherder and the maiden. But I believe what we are searching for is actually the celestial bodies named for the fortunes," Narumi chimes in, smiling slightly to the two that went before her.

She slowly and clearly points out each in turn as she says their names, "There... Benten, Fukurokujin, Bishamon, Daikoku, and Hotei. Daikoku and Ebisu cannot be seen during the current cycle."

[Shiba Nozomi]

Nozomi remains silent, but turns her small face upwards and gazes quietly at the collection of sparkling dots above her. She didn't know the names for them, but she recognized certain groups. When the Asahina points them out, she tries to associate the shapes with the names. The cotton of her hakama makes a soft rustling noise in the relative silence as she pulls her knees up and places her chin atop them.

[Akodo Jishaku]

"Ah, I see." The Akodo looks us as the Asahina points out the different constellations. He tried to be interested, but he always seemed to just know where north was so the practicality of stargazing was a little lost on him.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"Well done Asahina-san, and no, not quite stars. They have fixed paths as the stars do, but move more quickly across the skies than the stars and their constellations, " he explains with a chuckle, "There's much debate between the Dragon and the Phoenix regarding their nature, but that is another tangent. Those are the first of the markers."

Steadily the man points out other fixed points in the sky, describing for his erstwhile students the Three Enclosures and the Four Symbols with the Twenty Eight Mansions. His hand moves steadily across the sky as he names each constellation from memory. Finally he says, "I'm sure some of you are wondering why it matters and why you need to know this as long as you know where North is... yes?"

Amusement rested on his features and in his voice as his gaze slid over his students, brow arching in self-mockery.

[Akodo Jishaku]

Jishaku grins, appreciating the Captain's style and delivery. "I have never previously been one for stargazing, so I must admit it had crossed my mind Captain, hai." He pauses a moment. "Presumably it has to do with knowledge of North only giving one so much information. When fighting a battle you need to delineate your boundaries in order to assess the terrain. Do the constellations then help us to fix our position relative to East and West as well? Or more detailed knowledge of our distance relative to north and south?"

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"Yes to all three Akodo-san," he rests an elbow on his knee, slouching comfortably. "As Usagi-san pointed out, all there are out here are waves and the occasional coast or wandering, unreliable island to use as identifiers. And as Asahina-san noted, the sky is different depending on where you are on either land or sea and the season. So, working backwards, if you know what sky you're looking at specifically you can determine where exactly you are. Does that make sense?

[Asahina Narumi]

The Asahina listens thoughtfully. The stars and constellations and the 7 fortunes make sense to her. Even how those things are placed during a season make sense. All had to be learned to read the strands of fate that guide the Empire. But using that information to figure out where you were was something entirely alien to her. And that was the difficult part of the lesson as well it seemed.

[Akodo Jishaku]

"Hai Captain. Just like reading a map." Which made it a practical exercise, and that was something the Lion could get interested in.

[Usagi Zenko]

That Usagi, who paid rapt attention to the astronomy lesson nodded along. When the captain put forward a question, Zenko bit his lip in thought lightly. "Uhm...Almost. What happens if its a sky you don't have a map or knowledge of? Like after a long period of cloud cover at night over multiple days, or when we left that horrible area behind us this morning?"

He looks up, "Can you figure out where you're at, when you, nor anyone with a map you have access to, have never been there?"

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"Then you pray that the Fortunes are kind," he replies soberly. "For the most part, Imperial ships are properly equipped with what all the maps and charts they need. This includes ones of our beloved Empire and the lands beyond them. In fact, there's a bundle of new ones waiting for me whenever I hit port."

Uminushi's brows arch, humor in his voice. "As to cloud cover, the seven celestial bodies we first cover also appear during the day if you're keen of eye. A cautious man would also way anchor if that sort of weather persisted for more than a week. And finally as to the Sea of Shadows and Osuka's Route, both follow the same principals as any other place except that it's harder. I don't recommend that any of you try to make the passage with what you know."

[Usagi Zenko]

"Hai Captain-sama." the Hare answers the recommendation.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

"And now," the man pushes off the barrel and starts to hand out wax tablets and styluses he retrieves from a basket hidden behind his 'seat', "A test to see how resilient you lot are to boredom. I want each of you to make a chart of the sky and name as many of those constellations as you can. No cheating and copying off your neighbors."
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Sailing (Navigation)/Int or Divination (Astrology)/Int or Lore: Astrometry, Astrology, Astronomy/Int
TN 20, can raise for quality and accuracy