曰く付き-Iwakutsuki - WELCOME TO IWAKUTSUKI

[Iwaku]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF IWAKUTSUKI...​

First things first. Since few of you probably speak the native language of Feudal Iwaku, let me explain what Iwakutsuki means. You can loosely translate it to "With a history." Though, think of it more as a metaphor, for a history with many twists and turns.

We are in a time of civil war. While there is an Emperor, he is aloof from the concerns of everyday affairs. So, let's not worry about him. Instead, let us view the bones and meat of the past about how this came about.


Musical Theme: Samurai Battle March

""Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge."

- Sun Tzu​

It is the Sengoku period or Warring States period in Iwaku history. It is a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict. Magic is no more; the peoples of this cursed land have lost it. Now it belongs solely to the spirits.

The Shogun Gaburieru is dying. He was poisoned and his physicians say that he does not have long to live. Fear is that civil war will soon break out over the rights of secession.

Although his Shogunate had instituted a stable government, it failed to win the loyalty of the two most important daimyo families, the Amano and Rokkaku.

​

Especially more dangerous are those whose domains lie in the forsaken Kyōki region of Iwaku under the leadership of the Red Daimyo, Paorou-Sama.

The desire for greater local self-rule throughout Iwaku is high. Gaburieru was a dictator that often crushed any form of rebellion. Combined with the suffering caused by earthquakes and famines, his death may be the trigger for armed uprisings by farmers weary of debt and taxes.

The Kanrisha War will be a conflict rooted in economic distress and the dispute over shogunal succession. The "eastern" army of the Rokkaku family and its allies will clash with the "western" army of the Amano.

Fighting in and around Iwaku- Ichi has begun and it will spread to outlying provinces, like Kyōki.

WELCOME TO THE GAME!​

Iwakutsuki is a mythologised story about our forum. It tells the tale of a feudal society in which warring families and their supporters battle each other in order to become the dominate forces in the land. In terms of real history, the "feudal" period of Japanese history was dominated by the powerful regional families (daimyō) and the military rule of warlords (shōgun). It stretched from 1185 to 1868. The emperor remained but was mostly kept to a de jure figurehead ruling position, and the power of merchants was weak. This time is usually divided into periods following the reigning family of the shōgun.

Characters based upon Japanese mythology or history and any level of literacy are welcome. Please read about certain requests that are posted in the rules below. There's always new adventures and new plot twists to write! Think of this as a place to experiment and get to know (and fight) other players. You'll find most of the members here, involved in some plot or other. So don't be afraid to get stuck in.

Here are the rules:

• This is a project presented by Leo, Ossochanter, Vay, and Desaecula. If there's ever a problem, just ask one of the staff.

• Character bios do require approval from Ossochanter, therefore we ask all players to be mindful of their powers.

• We do not allow power play or godmodding (within certain conditions; we're pretty liberal in these terms).

• Because there may be many people involved, we ask that any posts that are MORE THAN 2 PARAGRAPHS have a summary included at the end, so that players who are absent can catch up quickly with the plot.

• In the current saga, there are two open factions. Also presented is what each army is made up of in terms of troops:

Amano Daimyo: Clan of Red - Representing the Traditionalists, who are fighting to preserve the status quo. Supported by Josei Tegan.
​

• 
  [*=1]Peasant - These soldiers wear simple cloth armor, little protection and use spears.
  [*=1]Heavy Infantry - They wear heavier armor than the light troops and command a unit of four infantry. They wield a shield and a spear and usually serve as defense captains for gates and bases.
  [*=1]Kyushu Mounted- These troops dress in a fusion of European-styled breastplates and samurai armor as protection for their shoulders and thighs. They all carry spears and wear simple helmets. Mobile and dangerous in charges.

Rokkaku Daimyo: Clan of Blue - Representing the ideals of reform and progressiveness. Supported by Josei Ten.
​

• 
  [*=1]Archer - They wear leather armor and a hat and can command a few archers under him.
  [*=1]Musketeer - They wear leather armor and a cap and command a few riflemen. Musket bullets can break your guard.
  [*=1]Ninja - They are one of the fastest troops, wearing a basic ninja attire and use ninjato. They are the only troop that utilizes a complete basic moveset, containing four normal attacks and charge attacks each. Ninja are slightly less sturdy than typical troops.

It is required for start up to choose to be one of the two clans. Any neutral, ronin, or loner characters will be placed under the command of Vay.

​

• Magic: The usage of true magic is very low. Magic is a dying art limited to a select few that understand Divine Will. So prepare to be in a world in which the supernatural is limited to the spirits of nature and humans having to come to terms with dealing with things that they cannot control or influence.

 

[Iwaku]

CHARACTER SHEETS
In Iwakutsuki, the characters should be humans with human skills, abilities, flaws, and weaknesses. Most of us will be playing samurai of some sort. Theoretically, samurai were supposed to follow the bushido code of honor, which stressed loyalty to one's master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behavior. However, the degree to which individual samurai actually adhered to bushido varied about as much as the degree to which individual knights in Europe adhered to the code of chivalry — which is to say, you could find everything from bandits in armor to saints of the battlefield. Although women could be and frequently were warriors- called onna bugeisha, and of the same class as samurai- the social and military rules for them were somewhat different than for men.

Characters do need approval by Osso before you can start. Nothing to be majorly concerned about. It's to help organize the plot.

Simply create and post your character sheet, then visit the OOC topic of your choice to get involved.
​

COPY AND PASTE THIS SHEET:



Basic Information
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race/Class/Role: Is your character human, or something else? (Keep in mind that human characters are preferred.) What is their social class? What do they do for a living?
Clan Allegiance: You MUST choose either Amano or Rokkaku.

Physical Appearance: Please include a description. Pictures are optional IN ADDITION to this description.

General Skills: What talents and training does your character have? What are they good at?
Special Skills: Does your character have any supernatural abilities or unique assets that set them apart? (Keep in mind that magic is almost a forgotten art. Excessively overpowered characters will be rejected.)
Weaknesses: What are your character's flaws or weak spots?
Equipment: List any important items or weapons that your character has.

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: How does your character appear to other people? How do they interact?
Inner Personality: What is your character like inside their head? What don't they share with people?
Vice: Vice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit.
Virtue:A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.

History: What has your character's life been like until now? Who is their family? Where are they from? (Keep in mind that this incarnation of Iwaku is NOT multi-universal.)

 

[Count Lanier]

Basic Information
Name: Akiyama Michio
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Race/Class/Role: Human Ninja
Clan Allegiance: Rokkaku

Physical Appearance: Michio is a young man that stands at an inch under average height, which is a great advantage during his work. His muscled are toned from years of martial arts training in ninjutsu, but he is not an overly muscular man with bulging arms and a six pack. Michio is skinny just a little under weight but fast and agile. His eyes are a dark brown almost black that complement his short raven black hair. His clothes are of the traditional dark blue ninja garb. Under his shirt hides several throwing stars. His belt holds a tan-tou on one side and a kusarigama on the opposite. In his belt behind his back hang a pair of sai by the name of Hikari Oyobi Kage.

General Skills: Stealth, Assassination, Martial Arts and hand to hand, weaponary, fast and agile.

Special Skills: Climb, Disguise, tracking.

Weaknesses: inexperienced in life and battle.

Equipment: Hikari Oyobi Kage (Sais), tan-tou, Kusarigama, throwing stars

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: Michio is cold and direct and has little to say to anyone. He seems cold and distant, but as a ninja how else should he act. He has no idea who he will be killing next and he has secrets to keep.

Inner Personality: Michio misses his family on the mountain and yearns to be reunited with his clan, though he knows that is not possible until the war is over. As well he hates needless violence and hurting living things but he understands that death is necessary at times. It is because of this he feels that this war should end fast and hopefully with the defeat of the army of Amano, which he feels will bring eternal peace.

Vice: Michio is a glutton for sake and will drink it when he can. To his detriment it has caused him some difficulty when he has been drunk during battle.

Virtue: Mercy. He will spare lives of those not fit to die and who are not to die without orders. He gives quick death when he must for no one should suffer more than life has already made them suffer.

History: Here deep in the mountains unknown to society, except the occasional adventurous merchant, and devoid of mainstream politics lies a village with a community that is dependent upon the individual working for the village as a whole. Everything is traded as currency for other things that a family might need. Here the village takes care of the children to make sure they grow into adults who will lift their weight for the good of the community. They rely on themselves for survival and protection. To meet this need of safety the village has trained warriors to fight against wild animals and bandits. These warriors are the village ninja. The ninja here are the same as everyone else, the only difference being that they are trained in the art of fighting. The ninja are chosen from a young age so that they can be conditioned early in how to rely on instinct rather than thought when fighting. When the young ninja grow up they are expected to work during the day and train at night with the other warriors. This is the village that Michio was born into.
Michio was a good child, always doing what he was told and followed the rules. At the age of six, Michio began to show promise in using thought and instinct together while he played with the other children. At the age of eight his parents gave him to the masters of the ninja art to train him to be one of the village ninja. It was hard and brutal training and Michio would not understand why his parents would put him into this, but he continued his training. At the age of twelve Michio began to get down the basics that he had been taught but he new that he still had a lot of training a head of him. He was also beginning to understand why his parents put him here. A year later he was able to start working. He work with is father in the fields and other various chores, but he really enjoyed hunting. It was not so much the killing of the animal that he liked, in fact he dreaded that he was taking a life but he knew that the village needed meat, so he took the life always thanking nature and the animal for the life that it was providing. What he really liked was the tracking and the game of finding the animal. It was so fulfilling to find the animal after hours or days of hunting, especially the rare game that the village loved so much. At this same time Michio found his calling for the sais. To him they were not just a hunting tool, but they were his weapons. He traded for a pair of his own when he could and they fit perfectly in his hands, and with these he decided these sai would be the weapon he defended the village with; he named them Hikari Oyobi Kage. At the age of 16 two months from his 17th birthday Michio heard about the strife in the country.
On that day a traveling merchant came through the village. Here the people love the rare merchants that come because this is their information guide. though the village does not care much for the society, they still like to hear what is going on in the country so they may gossip and prepare for what may be coming if they have to. Well this particular merchant had some unnerving news. The shogun, Gaburieru, is dying, poisoned some say, and the Rokkaku and Amano daimyo families are said to be getting ready for war. This news was grave indeed. The village didn't know what to do. After some talk the villagers decided that the war would not hit them and all would be fine. Michio would not accept this answer, and raised his voice in protest. He stated that the village should help out with the war and bring about peace as fast as they could. The village disagreed and Michio was left with his idea alone. So he continued his training but the thoughts were still in his head; he just had to do something. Then on the day after his seventeenth birthday Michio left the village sneaking out after training. He took only what he needed: street clothes, ninja garb, Hikari Oyobi Kage, a tan-tou, a kusarigama, and rations of food and water. He knew that his training was not yet finished but he could sit idly by while a war that threatened the country was fought; not only did it threaten the country but the village's well being.
Michio searched his way through forests and meadows until he found a road that lead him to the next major town he could find. He searched for information on each side of the impending war with the end decision being Rokkaku. Michio believed that change was necessary for a country and if it did not change it died.

 

[Rokku Hizori]

Name: Daiki Akio
Age: 28
Gender: male
Race/Class/Role: Human/ronin/mercenary
Clan Allegiance: the highest bidder, currently Rokkaku.

Physical Appearance: A rugged man with a hard, stern featured face. He is muscled, but not overly so. It is apparent that he does train everyday, however. He claims Raven black hair, long and formed into a samurai's topnot, and posesses coal black eyes to go with it. He wears a simple samurai's breasplate, and a single shoulder guard, as well as the leg guards, but also wears the traditional head and body wrappings of a warrior monk, as well as the large prayer beads they posses.
Reference for the headscarf:

General Skills: He has the basic skills needed for a life outside of society. Being a ronin, he no longer has a distinct lord, but he of course retains most of the samurai training. He is brilliantly skilled in use of the Naginata and the Bow, with some training with the spear.
Special Skills: Can muster up a bit of wind behind his arrows to knock an opponent over if the arrow misses.Since he is a ronin, and therefore a drifter, the spirits of the wind have taken a particular liking to his free spirited attitude, and chose to offer him a bit of help.
Weaknesses: While he retained most of the killing arts, the katana has long since been lost to him. In addition, he does not fit in well with society, and lacks any and all forms of social etiquette. He also is completely incapable of covert operations.
Equipment: A naginata given to him by his now dead master, and a yumi bow supposedly crafted by his thrice great grandfather and passed down through his family.

In addition, three ronin have taken to following him. Each wield katanas and sport the traditional samurai armor.

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: For the most part, Akio is aloof and free spirited. He serves no one and nothing but gold and his whims. While he wears the clothing of monks, he is the farthest person from enlightenment you will ever find. He chooses to indulge rather than resist life's temptations. He is blunt, and best kept away from the diplomacy table.
Inner Personality: While he does move from town to town, he misses the life he had serving his long dead daimyo. In truth, the only reason he fights for gold is because he considers no other man worth serving than his former master, and secretly longs to find a man he truely considers worth risking his life for.
Vice: Greedy, indulgent, glutinous, loyalty comes with a price.
Virtue: Protects the innocent, fights well and hard for his employer.

History: Eight years ago, before the current Shogun began withering away, Aiko served a semi-major Daimyo in Norther Iwaku. This Daimyo, known as Danno Mitsu, was the founder and a devout follower of the religion of Iwakut Ikki. Many of his followers were a blend of monks and samurai, devoting themselves to both enlightenment, but also advocating that anyone could reach it, and in any way. Aiko had killed many in Mitsu's service, and had earned a rather bloody reputation because of it. However, everyone knew his blade was only drawn on Lord Danno's orders. He kept order, treated his wife and daughters well, training them to become samurai women as well as he would have trained sons, and rose to be one of Lord Danno's most trusted generals. He himself was a devout follower of Iwakut, considered very close to reaching enlightenment, However, as Iwaku began to fall into chaos, his Lord was assassinated when his castle was attacked in the night by a small ninja clan. In the attack, Lord Danno, his wife and three sons, as well as Aiko's family were all slaughtered. In a single night, all of The Danno family was killed, and the religion of Iwakut Ikki wiped from the face of the earth. After this, Aiko lost all sense of loyalty and purpose. He tried to find another Lord to serve, but all were the vicious taskmasters that Iwakut had taught against. None were near enlightenment, and few even seemed to care. Eventually, he lost his desire to serve once more. He abandoned the ways of the samurai, and became a wanderer, a ronin. In time, he came to care less and less about the clan's power-struggle, and decided to abandon Iwakut himself, and profit from the war just as all others were, forsaking enlightenment for the sake of vengeance, and the ability to forget what he had lost.

 

[Astaroth]

There seems to be some confusion about what kind of characters we're looking for, so Ozzie is here to lay down some guidelines on what kinds of sheets NOT to send in. We want to stress that we are not looking to prevent you from joining up, but we have a few recommendations since it is important to the plot that we all follow a similar idea.

1. FOREIGN CHARACTERS. This RP is very much centered on the political and social unrest of Iwaku, and it has been a very insular country so far in history. Foreigners don't really have much of a place in the plot, unless you are a scholar or monk. Similarly, characters with part-foreign heritage should be avoided because it would be extremely uncommon for this era of history. If you want to go this route, be prepared to do a lot of very thorough explanation. And you still may be turned down.

2. ROGUE/LONER/NEUTRAL CHARACTERS. This is a story about the conflict between two daimyo and their supporters. Having a character working outside of this conflict will make the plot less fun. If you do insist on making a character with no allegiance one way or the other, they will be put with Vay's wandering monk character for a subplot.

3. CHARACTERS WITH INEXPLICABLE HAIR OR EYE COLOR. This is not an anime. We are working under the assumption that your character is ethnically Japanese. If you are unfamiliar with what type of hair and eye color is found in this gene pool, allow me to clarify! The most common hair color is black, with dark or medium brown being slightly less common, and reddish-brown being unusual. Blonds or true redheads are nonexistent. Eye colors are going to be varying shades of brown to black. Your character is also not going to be naturally pale-skinned unless they are Ainu (the ancient peoples of Japan), which is an entirely separate ethnic group and will probably require a lot of research to play them properly.

4. DRAGONS. We are allowing some supernatural beings, but the consensus of the GMs is that dragons are rare creatures and that we do not want this available as a player option. Similarly, part-dragon characters will not be allowed. Dragons aside, we also REALLY PREFER that you play a human character, and we will be limiting the number of non-human characters we approve. Part of the reason for this is that this is a mythological story, where humans are being manipulated by forces much larger and more powerful.

5. TOO MANY NON-SAMURAI CHARACTERS. This is a samurai-focused storyline. While we welcome those who wish to play other types of characters and represent other classes, samurai SHOULD be the most common type we receive. Ninja, for example, should not. If we get too many of one type of character, we will start turning these characters down.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM Ozzie!

 

[Harma]

Basic Information
Name: Yoshimitsu Sakate
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Race/Class/Role: Human/Samurai/Retainer
Clan Allegiance: Rokkaku

Physical Appearance: Yoshimitsu is of an average height, about 5'6, 5'7. Owns a very special suit of armor, that is blue and yellow in color. Because he is serving the Rokkaku as a retainer, he decided he would wear their sigil instead of his families.

General Skills: Strategy, Intelligence, politics, good with a spear
Special Skills: None
Weaknesses: Threatening his family will put Yoshimitsu on edge, also blackmailed easily with this.
Equipment: The spear in the pic above is named "Spiritbreaker"

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: Yoshimitsu is a kind and good natured person when on his good side. When you are against him though, he is a force to be reckoned with.
Inner Personality: That he is weak and cowardly, in ways. He fears for his family every day because of the Amano's capture of them.
Vice: Chews on his fingers excessively.
Virtue: Good natured

History: During his childhood, Yoshimitsu loved to climb all the trees in his families castle. Under the Amano, the Sakate were probably the most un-influential family that served them. During his teen years, an Amano missionary came to the castle and verbally insulted Yoshimitsu's father, who could not do a single thing about it. But Yoshimitsu's brother did. He drew his sword and slew the missionary where he stood.

This action forced the Sakate to flee. But in the midst of flight, an Amano army assaulted the castle and captured all but Yoshimitsu and his brother, the one who killed the missionary, Hirahide Sakate.

They now both serve the Rokkaku, and they will do anything if it means saving their family.

 

[The Returner]

Basic Information
Name: Fujiwara Chiyaki (also known as Chi)
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Race/Class/Role: Human/Samurai
Clan Allegiance: Amano

Physical Appearance:
[SPOILI]

[/SPOILI]

Chi is medium height with slender, slightly muscular body. Her skin is flawless and fair. Her brown warm eyes can sooth someone's troubles as well as threaten. She keeps her hair up most of the time, but once she lets it go, it reaches her waist. When she is not wearing her armor, she is dressed in clothes of silk usually light blue or green color.

General Skills: killing from afar, hand to hand combat without weapons, agile, quick.
Special Skills: Clearing chakra's which allows Chi to be faster and more lethal during combat though this process can take her up to one day of not doing anything but concentrating on the task. She also cannot be disturbed during the process. During a fight she can be focused on such level that she can "foretell" a move of her opponent. She doesn't use magic for it she just picks up hints from opponent's moves and use it to her advantage but she does it quickly in a matter of a second. Sometimes, she might fill her throwing needles with poison which she makes herself. She also knows the acupuncture points in human body.
Weaknesses: She can be very reckless and doesn't take some signs of troubles seriously. She isn't as honorable as she should be so she can be bribed. Not very good in fighting with Katana.
Equipment: Katana (which she doesn't prefer to use), throwing needles, light metal mask which she wears while fighting.
Reference to the mask:
[SPOILI]

[/SPOILI]

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: She is a woman that seems to have her dignity and nobility. She treats those in her social circles with respect but doesn't get involved in discussion too often for she might appear quiet and distant.
Inner Personality: She has doubts about the system of the Clan of Red and secretly wishes to be able to join the Clan of Blue but can't due to her responsibility towards her family and the way she was raised. Though, dDeep inside she knows that if given the chance to leave and reassurance that nothing would happen to her, she would leave Amano and join Rokkaku.
Vice: Reckless, doubtful on the inside, sometimes uses other people to her advantage, can be bribed due to her doubts.
Virtue: Once in a battle, Chi fights with all her strength which she can divide carefully so she doesn't tire herself quickly. She also protects her fellow warriors.

History: Chiyaki was born into a family of samurai and was raised to be a warrior one day. She was supported from everyone in her family since she was able to walk. Bushido was something she had to learn by heart and follow without any deflection. Her father taught her martial arts and how to use Katana but for Chi using the cold steel was too dangerous and she felt vulnerable and uncertain about her ability to wield such weapon. On the other hand, mother showed her the art of throwing needles and acupuncture points in human's body. For Chi that was a real, effective way how to eliminate someone. She spent more time training with needles than she was supposed to spend with the sword. Her father wasn't pleased at first but once Chi demonstrated how good she was, even he succumbed and let her train. Though, she still had to practice with him as well. As the little girl grew up into young lady, the ceasing freedom of her childhood and growing responsibilities began to overwhelm her and it reflected in her fighting abilities which ceased to be as effective and quick. It worried her parents a lot because Fujiwara family always produced very good warriors so such a sudden degradation in Chi's abilities made them disturbed. At first they thought, she might have been let loose so they restricted her freedom which didn't help. Deep inside, Chi knew what troubled her. She saw how people of the Rokkaku clan were happy and free with their new way of life and she longed to be free as well. However, she knew, that she couldn't confide that to her parents. Instead of telling the truth, she said to her mother that she was not feeling right that something felt like being blocked inside of her. That brought her mother to the idea of chakras. Bringing in a priest who was specialized in clearing chakras, he began to teach Chi how to do it herself. That is how she gained the knowledge. Also, the priest didn't stick just to teaching Chi how to clear her chakras...because they always had their lessons outside, the priest slipped to telling her about the nature, plants. So she knew which ones could help her heal and which ones could kill. However, once her chakra was cleared and Chi was sure to know how to repeat the process on her own, her skills of fight rose up again and even higher. Chi's parents were happy, but she herself was not. She still longed to be as free as those of the Blue Clan. Even though, traditions were supposed to be revered, they should not be followed all the time. It made Chi feel like there was no air to breath due to so many rules.

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

Well Aki's out.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

Think more along the lines of Seven Samurai or even certain elements in the first Star Wars film to get an idea of how the plot will pan out. Another example would be the anime Samurai 7, though in a historical drama vs. sci-fi.

 

[Jumi]

Basic Information
Name: Ishimata Jumi
Alias: Sadame iita (Fate Eater)
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Race/Class/Role: Human/Ronin/Mercenary
Clan Allegiance: Rokkaku

Spoiler

Physical Appearance: Jumi stands at 5'10, weighs roughly 180 pounds His flesh adorned with numerous warding symbols that appear to have been hand carved, and coated in ink, with long black hair trailing down to his waist in a loose braid. His eyes are brown with the odd golden flake to them as highlights, and in addition he keeps a thick, but neatly kept chin goatee.

He typically wears long flowing shirts, and pants of thick cloth with a sturdy length of rope in order to hide the numerous markings on his body, as it tends to unnerve those who aren't familiar with their meanings... and still those that do. Thick straw sandals are his preferred footwear, and generally when in battle, he wears a simple lamelarr chest piece, along with a matching set of shin guards traveling to his knees, and a full length arm guard from his right shoulder to his knuckles all of which is dyed a faded black with white accents in the laces, and plates.

General Skills: Jumi is well versed in the art of the sword, and excels with his katana that was made specially for him, and is rather resilient to pain, and fatigue due to his intense conditioning which is by no means supernatural. He also has a knack for intimidation, andis highly skilled in playing the Shamisen

Special Skills: Jumi's birth on his small island homeland is shrouded in mystery, and myth. The marks along his body translates to a story about a Fate-Eater, or a person who has no fate of their own. A soul meant to wander the threads of fate from those around him, and devour them each time he claims a life. Essentially, when he kills someone, if they were to have some grand goal in life, he becomes obsessed with making it come to pass, and begins to take on a slight bit of their personality be it habits, or beliefs. (I should state that this is for flavor only, and grants no combat advantages)

Weaknesses: Jumi is prone to impatience, and suffers from a declining memory. At the moment he has a hard time remembering smaller details, but in time he fears he may well forget more important things rapidly. He also seems to have an inability to stop reliving his failures in all their forms.

Equipment: One handcrafted katana, two small Honyaki knives, and a set matching prayer beads, which he has wrapped around his hands at all times.

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: Quiet, and matter of fact. Jumi tends to speak little when possible, but has a tendency to philosophize when the mood strikes him. One can ask him for an honest opinion, and expect to hear exactly what the man wants to say. Though bound by higher authority, it is well known, that the warrior cannot hold his tongue when his words aren't heard as he wishes them to be.

Inner Personality: Always angry, Jumi cannot help by feel the hate of the world flowing through him at any given time. His awareness catches the anger in the eyes of his comrades as well as his enemies, as well as all their sorrow. He feels as if with each passing day, he's becoming more of an observer to life rather than a participate, and the idea of being mindless horrifies him.

Vice: Impulsive, forgetful, a known alcoholic, and practitioner of the Occult.

Virtue: Truthful, abides by his promises, cares for orphans of war, and has never retreated from battle.

History: Born to family of farmers, Jumi's birth heralded in a time of great strife for the inhabitants of the small island of Itashiga, which floated just a few miles from the mainland shores. A story of ages past warned of "One with eyes of earth, but sight of gold, will bring strife, and death many times fold." His birth was marked by the death of his mother in labor, his father the following year on his first birthday, and then finally with the death of his two brothers, and one sister, each passing on the following birthday. It was at this time, admits the droughts, and horrible returns on crops, that the villagers arranged for a priestess to come, and seal the evil that they felt radiated from the boy with golden flaked eyes.

Barely the age of four, the villagers had fed the child, but the youth struggled for his life in between their "moments" of generosity. And then the priestess came. Jumi remembers the mean people holding him to the ground as the old woman drew strange symbols into his skin with a knife, and filled them with ink, all the while chanting strange words that made his head heart, and his blood burn. They wrapped him in bandages with ancient wardings, and sent him adrift into the ocean hoping for him to take the ill omens with him.

He did drift, but it was to the mainland. A local fishing boat, scooped the boy from the water, and brought him with them to the homes in the Rokkaku capital. The boy awoke to his new, but strange environment in a panic. He ran from the building, and was eventually rounded up, placed in an orphanage, to where an old couple took to treating him as their son, more so when they realized what the symbols on his skin translated to. The boy was a mystery... something outside the norm, which was exactly what they were looking for.

The youths energy, and aggression soon got the attention of the local retainers who decided to put the runt to work, and make him productive versus destructive. In that time, the boy forgot a lifetime, while living another, and found himself swearing allegiance to Rokkaku under the thought of changing the world. As the world he remembered was where his hatred was so deeply rooted.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

Basic Information

Name: Amano Naoko

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Race/Class/Role: Human. Naoko's role is the Handmaiden of Amano Ozuri. Amano Ozuri is not currently married or has any intention too, so Naoko plays the role of a domestic servant. A domestic servant is a person who works within the employer's household. She performs a variety of household services for Amano Ozuri; including cooking, doing laundry and ironing, and other household errands.

Clan Allegiance: Amano

Physical Appearance:

Naoko wears an elegant kimono, though it is not because she is an upperclass woman. It is a part of her "uniform" that Ozuri has her wear. Since Naoko is the closest person the head of the Amano clan has to a friend, there are certain things that she wears that are atypical of a woman in her status of society. However, when she has to do actual work, she does wears wooden shoes similar to clogs since sandals are impractical for her line of work, she always wears a less colorful pieces of clothing, and a head scarf.

General Skills: She is expected to know how to prepare meals, mend clothing, doing laundry, and other everyday affairs. Naoko knows how to read and write, so she will often double as a messenger to her Lady, since Naoko is one of the few people that Ozuri trusts in Iwaku.

Special Skills: She has nothing that really sets her apart from everyone else. While it is not often that she is sent to 'spy' on potential rivals, allies, or foes; the fact that few people know who she is, allows for her to travel between places without being questioned. To most Naoko is just a peasant country woman. She just trusts her gut feelings and if she does not, she quickly learns to because she realizes that her hunches are usually correct.


Weaknesses: Naoko has no formal trainings in any combat or magical powers.

Equipment: Whatever Ozuri needs her to have. This varies from day to day, from time to time, season to season. She owns nothing of worth and everything she needs to survive is provided by the clan she works for.

Personality Traits

Outer Personality: Naoko possess a gentle, patient, malleable nature. She has many generous qualities and is friendly, good natured, kind and compassionate, sensitive to the feelings of those around her, and responds with the utmost sympathy and tact to any suffering she encounters.

Naoko patiently waits for problems to sort themselves out rather than take the initiative in solving them. She is more readily concerned with the problems of others than with her own.

Her nature tends to be too otherworldly for the practical purposes of living in this world as it is. She sometimes exists emotionally rather than rationally, instinctively more than intellectually. Naoko longs to be recognized as greatly creative. Any rebellion she makes against convention is personal; however, as she often times do not have the energy or motivation to battle against the status quo.

Inner Personality: Naoko's downfall is her sensitivity and her inability to reject another person. She does not like rejection and she tries to treat others the way they want to be treated so she will rarely say no to a person for fear of hurting their feelings.

She will help another person with their problems and like to do so because making others feel good in turn makes her feel good.

Her inner conflict is extremes of temperament and conflicting emotions. She is trying to pinpoint herself on the real world while her spiritual world can cloud her vision, she will try to escape or avoid a situation instead of confronting it. She wants to learn to use her skills and her imagination in a positive, productive way.

Vice: Escapist and idealistic, secretive and vague, weak-willed and easily led.

Virtue: Some think of Naoko as weak because, like water, she takes the path of least resistance. But by flowing on, resisting nothing, Naoko overcomes all and her freedom from self (her greatest secret strength) provides her with limitless access to imagination (her second greatest secret strength). Her emotions are known to guide her heart and her mind. They possess a great trait that allows her to come in contact with a variety of emotions and not pass judgment on an individual.

History: Amano Naoko's past is connected to that of Amano Ozuri. She came from a samurai lord that failed to pay his due to the Amano clan. Therefore, his youngest daughter was put into servitude until his debt was paid off. It is not known if after 20+ years if this debt has been fulfilled yet or not. Since the child was too young to be of much worth as a servant to the elder Amano, Naoko was chosen to be Ozuri's handmaiden.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

This will be an area for discussion.

We are going to be starting in July; some RL events have to delay the start of the RP until then. In the mean time, I'll answer questions about the basic plot. Information about the clans will be done by Osso or Desc.