Hello again all,

Well, my tourney players are back with the news:

Sunday morning started with 8 players left---3 Phoenix, 1 Crane, 2 Lion, 1 Crab, and 1 Toturi's Army (who'd ever thought?!?). After single elimination, there were the 2 Lion, 1 Phoenix and 1 Crane left. The 2 Lions played each other and the Crane beat the Phoenix. I guess then before they could start playing for the "emerald armor" (a real set made out of kidex by an armory company for the winner), the lion and the crane tried to end it there as a tie. I guess after all the stress of playing for three days, they wanted to be honorable and just agree that both were the winners. The FRPG guys wouldn't have any of it, though. They said that either they played out the true ending or neither player would be declared the winner. Bummed but understanding, the two guys dueled it out and I guess quit when it became clear that the Lion was going to take the Crane's last province. So the Lion is the winner, clear out. I guess the winner is also about 16 years old.

Here's the cooler part, though. John Wick was reading off the story cards all night. At the end of the tourney, they had several different cards ready to reflect how the real tournament played out. But in the spirit of the game and in deference to the true wishes of the two finalists, the story was told (and will be written) to say this: That both Doji Hoturi and Toturi kill Fu Leng. John held the audience in the palm of his hand as he spoke of a bleeding Hoturi struggling to his feet and aiming his sword at Fu Leng's heart while Toturi lies dying at Fu Leng's feet. As he lies ready to forsake his own life, he hears the voice of Matsu Tsuko (now an ancestor, we believe) screaming at him: "You are a Lion!!! Get up now!! Fulfill your destiny!! You may not die yet!!! Get up!! You are a Lion!!!" and her spirit literally picks Toturi up off the ground. With all his strength he has left, he takes Fu Leng's head while Doji Hoturi plunges his sword into Fu Leng's heart!

I'm sure there's more and maybe someone who was really there will elaborate more than I can in the 2nd person. Still, this ending was all I'd ever hoped for. This is why we love this game...