The Sleeping Shrine

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Elphys

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The Sleeping Shrine
Tags: Murder, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Danger, Suspense, Mythology, Magic

A ronin on the run from a grave crime he committed in the service of the Emperor seeks a new start away from the Capital and finds himself in the remote countryside searching for work. The rural people who are wary of well dressed strangers, however, direct him deep into the mountains where a village Lord is said to be looking to hire a Samurai as a guard to his estate. The ronin, who is optimistic about the news, receives a cryptic warning from the villagers to beware the demons who walk the mountain paths and lure men in with a guise of beauty. Feeling undaunted by the tale of caution, the ronin ventures deep into the mountain where an encounter with a strange, beautiful being leaves him feeling shaken and suddenly more believing of the demons the villagers spoke of. To make things worse, soon after his arrival into the mountain village, the murder of an important figure pushes the ronin into a search for the culprit that leads him into a world he wishes he'd never found existed.

Main Characters

The Ronin [Played By]

• Name:
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Descriptors
- A man running from his past mistakes, who runs into more trouble than he ever wanted to find
- Was once a court samurai in the service of the Emperor, who refused to accept a punishment he received as a result of blackmail
- A very competent and skilled swordsman

The White Demon/Trickster [Elphys]

• Name:
-Tsuyoshi
• Appearance:
-He is of average height, lithe, fair/pale skin and short white hair, lashes, and brows. His eyes are silver, but glow a luminescent turquoise when he becomes angry or emotionally unstable. He has black bands tattooed around his neck, wrists, and ankles that also glow turquoise when he becomes angry or unstable.
• Personality:
-He is shrewd, arrogant, secretive, and dismissive. He enjoys being cynical and often plays nasty tricks on the villagers, but has an air of elegance and grace to him that makes him seem approachable. He can be cruel, yet seems to wear his emotions on his sleeve
• Descriptors
- A mysterious being who takes an interest in the ronin
- Seen as bad luck by the villagers, is blamed for the murder of the important figure
- Has powerful magics greatly associated with nature and weather
- Carries around a set of katana
- Is left handed

Secondary Characters

The Feudal Lord
• The man who governs the mountain village, who seeks to hire a Samurai to protect him and his estate
Feudal Lord's Son
• The Lord's son; a smart, competent young man
Feudal Lord's Daughter
• The beautiful daughter of the Lord; she is sought out by many suitors
Villagers
• The people of the village
The Murderer
• The one who murdered the important figure
Yami no Kami
• The God of the Mountain to whom the shrine is dedicated and the villagers worship
Demons
• Youkai and spirits that reside in the mountains around the village

Information

Seeking someone to play the ronin. I've left most of the profile open for my partner to fill in. My intention is for he and the Trickster to fall into a sort of strained friendship/attraction with one another. By no means will it happen right away, but as a general plot device I would like that to happen eventually. This is a sort of fantasy, feudal, murder mystery with a lot of dark drama and angst. I am looking to sort of steer the roleplay in the direction of the plot I intend. I have plot twists planned.

As far as availability, I am a sporadic poster. Sometimes I can make several posts in a day/week and sometimes I get busy and several days will pass in between posts. I will do my best to keep my partner updated with relevant information.

Post length can be variable. I'm not looking for thousands of words, nor will I put out that much on a general post, though I have no problem reading them. I prefer quality over quantity and I love dialogue. In general I am very flexible with length and content.

If you are interested, let me know. I'd love to screen people's character ideas so I can find the best fit for mine. Happy posting, I can't wait to hear from you!
 
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so your only looking for a ronin? or are we able to apply for a demon ?
 
At this time I am only looking for someone to play the ronin. This is because I have a specific timeline and set of events that I want to facilitate and if I add in other unplanned characters at this time, I'm afraid the roleplay won't be any fun for the people playing them because I haven't had the time to think of a way to work them in yet. Not saying that there won't be room for demon characters a little later. I suppose, I'm treating it a little like a table top game in which I am in control over the general points of the plot.

That also said, if you do want to hear more about the role I intend the demons to play in the story, I would love to tell you more and if you are still interested. We can perhaps find a way to work one in earlier.
 
I love this idea, and while I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of playing a man who builds a relationship with another man, if possible later on, I'd love to check out the role of the feudal daughter and see if it interests me. Other than that, I wish you good luck in seeking someone to play as the ronin! :)
 
When I wrote that the ronin and the trickster would form a friendship/attraction, I didn't necessarily mean a romantic or sexual one. The ronin could be attracted by the mystery of the trickster or simply wants to know more about him and what makes him tick as the plot furthers.
 
Oh, my bad. I misinterpreted, but either way, I don't think I'd be suited to that role.
 
It's been awhile since I played as a samurai, and sadly when I did he never got off his feet long enough (the RP ended to soon). Mind if I become your Ronin?
• Name: Ginjo Shisho
• Appearance:Ginjo Shisho.jpg
• Personality: Ginjo is often seen as a calm and quiet man. Talent with a sword, Ginjo enjoys dueling from time-to-time when he wasn't on duty or inbetween jobs. Not understanding much of the political or higher education topics, Ginjo relies on his five senses and common sense to get him through the day. Danger isn't something he's always looking for, but it seems to find him which transformed him into a wonderful adventurer.
 
Thank you for the interest. I think Ginjo could be a good fit for the role of the samurai given you take into consideration the few background descriptors I have provided for the character. The thing I really want to be a focus with him, is that he is on the run from a punishment he didn't deserve. He was blackmailed, but most of the feudal lords in direct service to the Emperor have heard of him and are on orders to return him to the Capital City of Japan. Fortunately for him, the rural villages he visits have not heard the rumors. He is bitter about having been betrayed like that, so now deals with a lot of trust issues. Also, coming from such a densely populated area as the Capital City has made him dismissive of all the stories about spirits and demons and Gods, which should make him skeptical about all of the out of ordinary occurrences at first.

Does that sound like something that would fit into his characterization or something you would be willing to add for the sake of the plot I am plotting?
 
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