OOC: Times of Turmoil

[Fehrant]

A single, small country willing to fight for independence triggered a chain of events that would change history forever. From ancient times, the ruler of the land was decided by the gods, whichever the country's gods were. While the gods changed from country to country, the system was homogeneous in most of them. However, as mankind thrived with evolution and worldly knowledge, the existence of such gods were put into question, and the number of people who discussed the validity of the system in which the ruler was decided in this fashion steadily and rapidly increased within each year.

It was 1380 when a small country, known as Auena, started a coup d'etat which succeeded that very same year, leading to a severe change in government structure. It was a small country indeed, but the ideology behind the event inspired many other countries to change the way things had been done since early times. In subsequent years, many rebellions exploded, some successful, and some utter failures which ended up in nothing short of a massacre.

An exception to this was the five top countries in the world. Being the economical leaders of the world, they saw no reason to change the way things were done. But eventually a group of anti-old-government activists took root. At first considered no more than a petty crime organization, its work in the shadows eventually proved to be a serious threat. The group is named Shinseidan, and is composed of shady characters and not-so-shady characters alike; from people in high-political positions playing a subtle role, to lowly assassins.

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That's about the backbone of the plot. Things to keep in mind:

The story will take place in one of these top countries. The world is pretty much like ours around year 1400-- basically, it's medieval.

This is a fantasy world, however, we'll keep it as much sci-fi as we can: everything has a (fantastical) explanation.

There is no magic, fairy creatures, and the means to take advantage of gunpowder in a portable fashion (aka guns) have not yet been devised.

The particular country where we will start will be like Japan. Basically, imagine a samurai anime and you should be set. This doesn't mean you gotta stick to katanas if you don't want to. Use huge swords, or simple longswords if that fits your style.

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There are going to be three main factions, and you'll have to pick one.

- Shinseidan. Anti-government force. They mostly work in the shadows, but there are several people who secretly belong to the Shinseidan and don't work in the shadows. If you are Shinseidan, you can be a samurai, a ninja, or a person involved in politics.

- Seifugun. Government army, and overall forces. Samurai who chose to serve the government split into several roles: guards, investigators, patrol groups, etc. The government has ninja as well, but of course doesn't openly acknowledge their existence.

- Ronin. Ronin are samurai who don't particularly serve anyone, and wander on their own. Those ronin who need some coin either start working as mercenaries, or become thieves or pillagers (when several ronin group together, anyway). The ronin are considered disgraceful because the samurai class originally was created to serve [someone], and ronin are the total opposite to that. Either because of personal choice, or because of circumstances (perhaps their lord was killed) the ronin ended up as such, and now struggle under society's pressure, even though society does need mercenaries from time to time. Moreover, ronin are often target of Seifugun suspicion because usually the Shinseidan masquerade as ronin.

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As you can see, two factions are opposite to each other, and the third might be, depending on the stance your character. Expect players to fight against each other.

Profile information has to include name, age, appearance, background, and weapons/fighting style (in this last, you state how your characters fights briefly, and what she/he uses to fight, even if it's barehanded fighting).

Rules are pretty redundant; don't godmod, don't use other characters without their explicit permission, try to post as often as you can, etc.

[Hyzenthlay]

Name: Yumi Ryuuko (Bow Dragonchild in Japanese).

Age: 18

Sex: Female

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 115 Ib

Appearance: Short black hair usually in a short ponytail, however she lets the sides hang down as she disslikes her ears. She has a light brown, almost mahogany eye colour that are tinged red in the sun. Her kimono is ripped and re-stitched by her own hands and is perfect for her own, engineered style of combat. Her twin katana's hang behind her back in an X at waist height.

Bio: As a young girl Yumi had been told to be strong and follow her villages code or be swept away with dishonour, to be strong or weak, wise as the owl or dumb as the ox. With her family there was no in-between, nor had there been any remorse when she had been given away in blind servitude to a hapless samurai. His misfortune struck far into Yumi's training, however, and that gave him plenty of time to train her and her 3 "sisters" in the ways of the samurai.

So it was that at the age of just 11 Yumi had been told to choose her weapon from a rack of katana's, she had chosen twin katana's rather than a singlular one such as her "sisters" had. In combat she had been progressed to become far greater than any of the others. Aiko, Cho and Kaori, her sisters, were all taken under the same circumstances as herself. Taken to become great warriors in the best school in Auena, of course, it was very expensive and each of the girls families had given their daughters up and paid a great amount in gold too. It was also said to be an illegal school for belief systems that opposed the government.

All 4 of them had, at first, hated their master. They would huddle together behind Cho, Cho being the eldest and at that time the best trained, as he would enter ever night to "disipline" one of them in front of the others. Through all this though he did show his kindness and whatever the girls needed or wanted he would get, though, he would not tell them where it came from or indeed even that it was him that purchased it.

Many years went by and after 6 years of relentless training, during the time of harvest and celebration in the evening, the girls were told by their master Shin Wuu to train in the fields behind their home. Whilst this went on Kaori saw the strangest of things, shadows moving along the rooftops. In alarm Cho and Aiko ran back to warn their master, Kaori and Yumi had run around the front to where the stable lay. Here they came face-to-face with a large number of well armed government soldiers. They claimed to have an arrest warrent for all of the members of the academy. At their feet sat the corpses of some of the older, male, students.

Terrified the 15 year old Kaori fell down and bowed her head holding out her arms she begged they leave the school. One of the high ranking government soldiers withdrew his sword and decapitated her. Anger rose through Yumi, cutting through her like a knife. She withdrew her katana's and jumped into them slashing out madly this way and that. An elaborate battle technique she had come to master sprang out in her movements. She span her arms and moved with such speed and ease that, barely able to fight back, the group of soldiers were left to bleed the ground crimson.

Thinking of her two remaining sisters Yumi ran inside the house, her face painted with drops of blood and the stench of death gripped her nostrils. Within, the house was a mass of wreckage and debris, splintered furnature and bloody carpets. Against the back wall of the dining room Yumi found Cho with the lifeless body of Aiko in her arms. From Cho's quivering lips a trail of blood had made its way, she cough looking up at Yumi and smiled weakly for a second before her eye's glazed over and her body fell limp. Aiko was still holding her katana tightly in her pale fingers. Around them around 40 of the government soldiers lay dead, scattered around the building along with 2 or 3 of the other academy students. In dispair Yumi fell to her knee's, her life in ruin. All she knew had been destroyed. Her head fell to Aiko's chest, there she felt the anger build up inside her once again, she felt hatred for the government swell to near bursting point. She heard the patter of hooves on teh gravel outside and ran out to see a man with long, silvery hair ride off into the distance.

The tears stung her eyes and her heartstrings were pulled to snap as she carefully carried each of her 3 sisters under the branches of a bonsai tree out in the fields. She buried them and left a mark on the tree so that, one day, they would know to bury Yumi with her loving sisters.

She found the body of her master torn apart, not a piece was large enough to bury. With all the anger pent up she left the school the sole survivor, she wrote a message for any soldiers that may return,

"3 are dead but one remains, no Seifugun is safe. I will have my vengence."

With that she threw fire into the woodwork of the academy and burned it to the ground. At least, she thought, now there would be no way for the Seifugun to desicrate her home further. Once she had left the school behind she developed her fighting skills further, training in different schools for a year and a half. Fast at learning and eager for revenge she excelled in all her training and found herself in the eyeline of a senior member of the Shinseidan. Much to his pleasure he found that she hated the Seifugun and she agreed to help him without second thought.

Since then she has travelled around as an assassin, earning herself a reputation as a silent, merciless killer. Her fame comes mainly from the people who have seen her walk through and entire crowd of men without a scratch, ignoring the innocent and always keeping her targets in her sight. If she ever did take a hit she would shrug it off as if it were nothing and carry on. They also say that no matter what happens, she never flinches nor says more than only a couple of word before dissapearing.

Dragon Child, the moarning assassin.

Aimee.

[Fehrant]

Name: Karasu (crow), an alias that was given to her due to the fact that she always seems to travel towards and be surrounded by death. Real name is unknown.

Age: 21.

Appearance: if looked from a the distance, one might mistake her for a man, for she wears a men's plain black kimono. Closer inspection will reveal curves befitting a lady her age. Her hair is tied into a single ponytail, long enough that it reaches half her back. Her grim eyes are almost as black as her hair, and attire. They stare at the surroundings with an unyielding sternness that marks the very features of her young face. Her skin is fair, and contrasts with the black of her clothing, given her a ghastly appearance that only furthers the death visage that surrounds her. While lacking the charisma, her presence is indisputably one that cannot be overlooked. The mere sight of her might make a warrior wary; and those veterans who are more hardened feel and see the invisible stench of death stuck to her being.

Biography: Karasu was once an innocent woman living out her life fully without having any knowledge of weapons. She was a merchant's daughter, and at the age of fourteen was to be engaged to a wealthy nobleman. At first she disliked the idea; she was smart enough to know this was done merely to increase both families wealths. But as time grew, she came to love the man, a handsome youth by the name of Rupert.

Rupert and Karasu lived their life to the fullest, boasting luxurious advantages that not everyone could have. And because they spent plenty of free together, they gradually became fond of each other. At the age of 15, Karasu was pregnant with his baby. For the wedding anniversary, both were given a magnificent castle, in a place not too far from the surroundings they had grown accustomed. As they were traveling to their new place, they got caught between a group of fleeing Shinseidan and the chasing Seifugun. Both groups completely disregarded the couple and their entourage, even taking advantage of the situation to fight their bitter enemies more effectively. The caravan's guards suddenly realized the danger of the situation, and fought desperately to defend the Rupert and her wife. But the Shinseidan, and the Seifugun continued their conflict, even attempting to board the carriage to get away. They threw Rupert and Karasu out, but the attempt was quickly thwarted. The couple found themselves amidst ravaging individuals who killed their opponents fervently and with no disregard for whoever was caught in the middle. And such was the violence, that a sword accidentally pierced Karasu's belly, killing her child and almost ending her life. Rupert, angered, attempted to get back at the careless attacker, but he was cut down when he was mistaken by an enemy.

She woke up two days later, feeling empty: her child gone. An old man who had passed by after the conflict had ceased picked her up, and had taken care of her since. He explained it was common nowadays for individuals to get caught in between the political struggle of the new government vs. the old. And in that very moment Karasu understood that her existence would be devoted to ending the conflict. She would take a side, no. She would remove the head of both.

She traveled for a long time alone, fighting Shinseidan and Seifugun alike. Earning a name for herself, becoming more than a legend for both sides. And when she started to venture to assassinate higher ranking officers, a bounty was placed on her head. A bounty for both sides, despite their conflict. This was at the age of 20, but she was too skillful then, to be bested by mere flies. Her killings slowed, but they did not stop. For every day she gets closer and closer to achieving her objectives.

Weapons/fighting style: A katana. She uses it like a samurai, but doesn't wear any armor. She has the agility of a ninja, but none of the stealth.

[Tsi]

Name: Haru (one born in spring)

Age: 25

Sex: Male

Height: 173 cm

Weight: 77 kg

Appearance: The top of his head is covered by the traditional straw hat of those that work the rice fields, the shade it provides obscures his icy blue eyes from view. His long dark brown hair is only visible from the neck to the middle of the back, the rest is covered by his hat. His face appears unshaved. His robes are worn and tattered, almost resembling beggar's clothing. His hands are no visible, as they are inside the sleeves. His feet are barely visible due to the length of his robes.

Bio: It took him a good while to learn the way he lives now. He wasn't always like this, the man they call Haru.

He was born into a middle-class family, not rich, but not poor, in the middle of Spring. The rebellions in the other countries that seemed so distant from the place of his birth, the trees in the area were blossoming. Well, they were blossoming until the fires came through. Nobody really knows what happened, except the area was in flames and a baby boy named Haru was missing.

Somehow, that baby boy ended up with a hermit who took him in and raised him as his own. As the boy grew up, the man noticed that boy had a bit of talent when it came to music. The man began teaching the boy what he knew best, stringed instruments that required a great deal of dexterity. The boy named Haru took to the instruments like a fish takes to water. By the time the boy was 14 years of age he had already mastered one of the several instruments, a feat that is hardly accomplished at such a young age. The hermit decided that perhaps, along with the lessons in instruments, he should teach the boy how to focus his thoughts and feelings and apply them to increase his will to become an even greater student. The old man did this through meditation and also through instruction in how to use a weapon where dexterity was key, the San Jie Gun (or three-section staff). This training continued on until the boy, or rather man, named Haru reached the age of 20. It was on his 20th birthday that the hermit whom he had seen as a father-figure told him a secret about his life. The hermit was a member of some organization called Shinseidan, if only during the early years of it. As time went on with the rebellions, he saw that this organization was not the right way to go and just up and left them all behind.

A few days later, Haru walked outside to find the hermit. He found him talking to a man dressed in all black. The discussion got heated and the man he looked up to as a father figure was stabbed in the stomach. The man seemed to have vanished in a flash. Haru quickly ran over to the hermit. The hermit told Haru in his dying breaths that the man who had stabbed him was from the organization he had left. Despite Haru's efforts to let him save his breaths, the hermit continued telling him the story of the rebellions. Finally, as the hermit reached his last few breaths he made Haru promise on the hermit's deathbed that he would not join either side and try his hardest to not get involved in the conflict.

Haru mourned for several days after he buried the one man he considered a father. He soon went back to the lifestyle he had before, practicing his instruments, weaponry, and meditation. A few days after life had gotten back to normal, albeit a bit lonelier, Haru heard someone approaching. He looked up and saw the same man that had killed the hermit. Haru didn't know what to do as the man approached him. Without saying a word, the man quickly put Haru into a lock that Haru could not escape. The man took a vial from his clothing and uncorked it. He pulled on Haru's hair to make Haru yelp in pain and took the opportunity to pour the contents of the vial down Haru's throat. When the vial was empty, the man released Haru and disappeared. Haru could not move, but he knew what was in that vial. That man had poisoned Haru and Haru could not move an inch. In what seemed like days, Haru finally blacked out.

Suddenly, Haru heard a voice asking him if he was alright. He opened his eyes to look around, but saw nothing. He heard the voice gasp and mention something about his eyes. Apparently he had survived the poison, but lost his eyesight. He began to weep at his loss of eyesight. No longer could he see things that had a beautiful quality to them, something he never truly appreciated until this very moment. He wanted revenge on this man, but he couldn't do such a thing. For one, he could no longer see and therefore he would not be able to identify the man, much less do any damage. However, the main reason why he could not is that the man was from the Shinseidan, and he promised the hermit that he would not get involved if possible. Granted, he was already involved but now they thought he was dead, which meant he would be left alone.

With a new start on life, Haru learned how to navigate by sounds, using echos of voices to find the location of walls and the like. He eventually learned how to use the three section staff, despite his blindness. After four years, he became a wanderer. He refused to join either side and kept everything about him hidden. To the average onlooker, he looked like nothing more than a beggar. And thus, his current life began...

Weapon: San Jie Gun


Hopefully, this will work. If there's anything you want me to change, just let me know and I'll do what I can.

[Fehrant]

Awesome profile. Another ronin, eh? Approved.

[Tsi]

Yep, taking sides is just silly...

Anyway, I'll post later today. Hopefully it'll turn out good.

[Hyzenthlay]

~Cough~ Aimee presents her new Bio!

Also, clarified me weight... Just to make sure lol

I will post asap =]]

I like your first post Fehrant =]. I think I'll start out on your trail. =]

Aimee.

[Fehrant]

I want to clarify the nature of the terms I used, so you guys find them easier to remember, and don't have to look back to see how they are spelled. The words are all japanese.

shinsei·dan = shinsei (new government) + dan (group)

seifu·gun = seifu (government) + gun (military)

ro·nin = rou (wandering) + nin (person)


I'll await for your posts. Tsi, you took me totally aback. I thought you were a different person that was going to join. You just joined the forum and posted here. Not to mention, you look like a good RPer. Coincidence, or am I missing a link here?

[Tsi]

I used to frequent this board a few years back, mainly did RPs. Actually, this first post here was of greater quality than most of my posts back a few years. I just had an urge to get back into forum RPs and the first RP I saw that interested me was this one.

[Fehrant]

Unless you have any plans for Minoru, I'll be borrowing him. No guarantees on his safety.

[Tsi]

No problem, just as long as I do get to encounter him one more time later on.

He was just originally planned to get my character exposed to someone from the Seifugun, but it would be good to encounter him later to see how he's faring. So, don't injure him too much...death included.

[Fehrant]

Roger. I will be making my next post later today.

[Fehrant]

I gave Minoru some more depth; I hope this doesn't mess up the plans you have for him. Also, I revealed more about the seifugun; well, it's more like I'm making these things up as I go, so...

Anyway, for future reference:

Miyamoto Ichiro (ruler of the land)

Seifugun

Shindou Gennosuke (head of seifugun)
Kansai Endou - Tenkai (hands of the head)
10 Elite Generals (Minoru is revealed to be one of them)
N number of officers.
N number of soliders.
N number of ninja.

More will unfold I'm sure, and I will try to start to focus a bit more on the shinseidan, who we have neglected so far.

[Hyzenthlay]

Do you mind if I reserve one of the generals to be a man named Jiro.

The guy in my profile with grey hair. =]