Heir of the Mitsumine Clan - Interest and Signup Thread

Oh good lord. I know now what I must do. *runs off to make a feudal cyborg ninja out of Animated Armor*

Did it rain when she was born?

edited 21st Aug '14 11:58:53 AM by Starbound2

Ah, I see. So governing forces, basically? Just wanted to be sure what sort of influence they are.

It'd probably be something like 十三風(水)(五)行　or something. Mashing up terms isn't really my strong suit.

In addition to the questions I already have, something just came to me. If there's an Emperor that's supposed to be governing the land, then why are the different clans warring with one another? You would think that the Emperor would be sending in troops to knock that crap off, especially since the clans provide the majority of his tax money.

Could you put that in English, Savant? Even if it's just phonetically.

I assume it's a Japanese-esque emperor which is a holy figurehead and not a Chinese-esque emperor with actual power.

Something like Juusan Fuukou, probably, Theo.

@kk: Depends on how invested the Emperor is in the politics of the land. He's not powerless by any stretch in terms of actual magic, but that doesn't mean he's not a political figurehead if he doesn't give a shit about earthly concerns.

Okay, but if the Emperor doesn't give a crap about the clans, then why should the Clans give a crap about Emperor?

Here's a way I can possibly see this working out; The Emperor has powerful magical abilities, right? In that case, the the Clans wouldn't want to mess with the Emperor on account of getting their arses fried. And to appease any potential wrath from the Emperor, they give him taxes, which the Emperor then uses to fund his city. So long as the Emperor gets his toll, and the Clans don't infringe upon the Emperor's city, the Clans get to do whatever they want.

Still, if the Emperor's not going to do anything of importance in this RP, it makes me wonder why we even have an Emperor in the first place. They might as well just be separate countries with close approximation to each other without a unifying figure that keeps what's supposed to be one nation from fighting with itself.

edited 21st Aug '14 1:41:44 PM by kkhohoho

Maybe its the same deal as with the historical Shogunate? As a Portuguese trader and diplomat described it the Emperor was like the Pope with symbolic and spiritual power whilst the Shogun was the actual King who rules politically and militarily.

The Emperor's approval gives legitimacy, like it did in the ~600 years of the Shogunate system. There's a reason all the conflict between daimyo was to reach the official position of Shogun rather than to overthrow the country entirely; it's a lot easier to take over a headless body already put-together than to recreate a country by yourself. The Emperor's word was vital to legitimize the Shogun's rule.

Also, this one has magic powers.

edited 21st Aug '14 1:48:31 PM by RedSavant

So in before the emperor is a magical girl youkai in hiding.

The reason the Emperor doesn't step in probably has to do with the fact that the Clans manage the nation for him according to the first post.

edited 21st Aug '14 2:51:30 PM by Chariot

Ah. That sort of makes sense. I'm still not 100% sold, but I'm willing to roll with it.

Obviously, it didn't for me.

So, I've got two ideas for characters in my head, though I still don't know if I'll be able to use them both. One is an old samurai, and one of the highest-ranking leaders in the army, who is devoted to serving the Mitsumine Clan until his dying breath. However, whereas the Heir seems to be more expansionist and aggressive, the old samurai would prefer to stay within the clan's current borders, simply protecting it from those who would dare attempt to attack it. He has seen far too many men die under his watch in the past to risk wasting more in what he sees as futile grabs for power. He'd follow the heir's orders at first, but just what actions he would attempt to take from then on would depend on what exactly the heir does...

The other character I had in mind would be a female nekomata kunoichi, made an orphan after her parents were shot down by a pair of hunters of the Mitsumine clan, lost within the woods. They couldn't bring themselves to harm the child, so they brought her back to the clan, where she was raised as a kunoichi. Nekomata can shapeshift into a variety of human forms, on top of their cat-like abilities. If one could be raised to serve the clan, it would be most useful. Now a young woman, the nekomata kunoichi fullfills her given tasks to the best of her highly capable ability, despite having never been told the truth of just how she came to be raised amongst the clan. She is told that her parents abandoned her in the woods, despite that not being any further from the truth. It wouldn't be long after the RP begins that she would find out the truth of her parent's deaths, which would lead to some rather conflicting loyalties..

I'm hoping I can play both characters, but if I have to choose, I'm not really sure just who to pick.

edited 21st Aug '14 2:52:41 PM by kkhohoho

I was thinking of playing an army General myself, similar to your first idea.

Should you go with said first idea though, I would probably be able to alter my idea. Many Daimyo of Feudal Japan probably had a diverse commanding staff among their Samurai.

Thanks. Having thought about it, I think I'll go with the general as my first choice, though if I can play a second character, I'll still use the nekomata as well. Now to just whip up a character sheet.

I'm either going to be playing a female Tengu, or a Tanuki.

Mischievous and tricky, and drunk.

Damn. At this rate Ainori's going to have an army of spirits at her back! XD

Yeah, really. We have what, two regular human characters, not counting Ainori? =)

Hey, let's face it; half or non-human characters are just more interesting to play as than regular ones. Sad but true.

I'm going for a kunoichi. A human kunoichi.

(Please tell me I spelled that right...)

I'll see about getting the sheet up after I work up the courage to ask Hastings something.

If I can get that second character, you'll be having some company. Some non-human company.

I'll see about getting a sheet up too, while I'm at it.

edited 21st Aug '14 6:44:35 PM by kkhohoho

I'm working on either a half-human, half-youkai Quirky Miniboss Squad or a human samurai using tsukumogami armor as a replacement for various limbs. And if those ideas fail, I have a human court wizard.

edited 21st Aug '14 6:54:32 PM by KSPAM

Name: Junichi Kawamura (Western Style)

Age: 24

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Description: Tall and brawny by Japanese standards, Junichi, or Jun as he prefers to be called, is 5'11" with a well built frame. His face is nondescript.

Abilities: As a samurai he has excellent skill with both katana and bow, and is a serviceable horseman as well. In addition, he can see supernatural creatures, though he has no other mystical abilities.

Personality: Jun still has a little bit of growing up to do, despite his high standing. He is much more fun-loving than most samurai, occasionally playing pranks, though he'll never do it except to get back at someone. However, when the fighting starts, he's reliable and engages his opponents with honor.

Backstory: Jun is the eldest son of Isoroku Kawamura, a minor vassal of the Mitsumine. His father tolerated his antics for a little while, but when Jun refused to curb his wild ways, he was sent off to do his service for the clan. He straightened up somewhat and was accepted into the Heir's guard, but he never quite lost his sense of humor.

• Name: Jiroh Ghiren

• Age: 67

• Gender: Male

• Species: Human

• Appearance: Bad Ass Grandpa: Japanese Style.

• Personality: In his youth, Ghiren was a spoiled little twit with an ego the size of the rising sun, but since then, he's come a ways. He still has a touch of ego and a bit of a temper, but he's taken several lessons in humility since his early days, and has managed to hone his mind to a razor-sharp edge. When he reached about 30 years of age, he started reading whatever books he could in what counted as spare time, and traveled during the rare vacation, to better know how the world really worked. This was partly spurred on by his comrades dying all around him in previous battles and campaigns, whereupon he learned a lesson which he only thought he knew; he was not the only person in the world.
  • Since then, he's gained a new take on just what his personal duties as a former General and Province leader should entail. He's still vowed to serve the clan, but has placed greater emphasis on serving the ordinary people within it rather than just the people at the top. This includes keeping the body count to a minimum.
  • What's more, he is now the ruler of his own province. While he still serves the clan, he also has his own small collection of people to look after and protect. If called upon, he will serve, but he will not see more lives lost than necessary. But if an innocent's life is at stake, he will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to save that life, even if it means taking the life of another.

• Skills and Abilities: Ghiren is a master of the katana, gifted at the craft since the day he could hold a sword, and his skill has only increased ten-fold through training and experience. He can even wield two katana at a time with ease. In addition, he's also learned to harness his chi to increase the sharpness and speed of his strikes, to the point where his blows are three times sharper and twice as fast than that of a strike from the average skilled swordsman.

• Possessions of Note: When he was 17, Ghiren was granted by his master an incredibly sharp and sturdy pair of blades, the Tiger's Fang's. He's held onto them ever since. He also carries with him a medium-sized sake bottle, for whenever he needs a little pick-me-up.

• Bio: From the moment he could walk, Ghiren's parents knew he would be something special. They knew that Gihren would carry on their proud samurai tradition, if not surpass all that would come before. As soon as they could, they placed him within the finest schools of swordmanship, gave him the best tutors, commissioned for him the finest blades and armors, and as soon as he was old enough, signed him into the clan's army of samurai. Of course, being practically handed everything on a platter his whole life led to Gihren having an ego the size of the entire country, but wetting his blade with blood and seeing his comrades dying like flies around him set him straight.
  • Since then, he rose though the ranks to become a strong, crafty General, but when he was 63, decided that, with the realm seeming to be in a somewhat stable peace for 17 years, retired, and was given the small Gahara province in the North to rule as a reward for his decades of service. However, the Province has been starting to undergo drought, and it's only continuing to get worse...

• Notes on the Gahara Province: The Gahara province is a mostly unremarkable area of land in the north, mostly known for vast swaths of farmland, (vast for the size of the province, anyway,) and several small villages scattered across. Ghiren resides in the province's Capital, Ghinsing, which itself doesn't amount to much more than a collection of shacks, although it's still thrice as many times larger than the other villages. In ruling the province, Ghiren has established a strict yet fair rule. Given that the province is mostly farmland, there isn't much need for soldiers or guards.
  • Nonetheless, each village has 5 soldiers assigned to it, just in case there is a danger that the villagers cannot overcome, such as the odd thief, or a pack of wild animals. The other job of the soldiers is also to teach the villagers how to defend themselves, so that they may not be so reliant upon Ghiren and his forces, although in terms of equipment, most villagers are only given spears as opposed to full armor and weaponry. Other than that, there isn't too much for Ghiren to concern himself with, which he likes just fine, and he even has just enough spare time to give out sword lessons every now and then.
  • That said, the province isn't without problems. The province has begun to suffer from a drought; crops are starting to wither, and the lakes and the land are beginning to dry up. Some villages are starting to wonder if they might have to steal from other villages and farms to survive. Ghiren is hoping that a substantial rain comes that can help alleviate this drought, but in the meantime, he's increased the number of troops per village from 5 to 7, hoping that just a slight show of force will keep any desperate villagers from getting any ideas. But if this continues on, Ghiren might either have to ration supplies, or request some from the Clan's Capital, and he isn't sure if the Capital will supply his province with what it would need. Ghiren has felt that they have been getting rather high&mighty of late, and that a province as unimportant as Ghiren's might be beneath their notice. To that end, he's decided to seek out the heir and her uncle; perhaps together, the three of them could work out a solution to his problem. Of course, this means that Ghiren could end up indebted to the heir, but if it comes to that, he will at least have increased his province's chances of survival.

edited 26th Aug '14 6:28:48 PM by kkhohoho

Sup.

• Name: Katsuo Horuhito
• Gender: M
• Age: 29
• Description: Horuhito dresses in simple clothes that are nevertheless nice—they're well-maintained and clean, just unadorned. He is athletic, but not bulky; his hands, especially, are extremely delicate and smooth. He has dark skin and aristocratic features, marred by a disfiguring scar down his right eye.
• Personality: Horuhito has seen what happens when things escalate out of control, and he wants to make sure all situations he's involved in stay sane and grounded. Revolution is an option, but it is just as good to just have a nice ruler who listens to his people, and he's there to ensure the second option happens. This philosophy of compliance is not complacency or passivity, however—Horuhito's first and foremost drive is getting shit done, and seizing the initiative of doing so.
• Background: Horuhito hails from a tiny spat of land owned by one of Mitsumine's minor feudal retainers, a place of relatively little merit that nonetheless sort of stopped responding to messages from the main palace about 5 years ago. He is the end result and one of the few survivors of a peasant's rebellion there. He has a minor to obscure reputation as a folk hero, having adventured far and wide to gather strength and glory before returning to start said rebellion. From there he initiated a meteoric rise to power, toppling the tyrannical shogun and saving his village... only to then initiate a downspiral. He became little beyond a symbol and occasional beatstick for the people he himself delegated to positions of power, and he was left powerless as the rebellion ate its own children in a reign of terror. He left that place in the middle of the night, determined to come to a new land and tell his tale in an attempt to not only get back into actual fighting again, but to make sure that rebellion never happened again, that this heir would actually know what he was doing.
• Possessions:
  • A notarized scroll detailing the transfer of leadership of the lands of Jorogumo Shuki from the previous shogun to him.
  • A notarized scroll detailing the transfer of leadership of the lands of Jorogumo Shuki from him to the leaders he elected.
  • Light, movement-freeing armor, with a red lacquered mask with the right eye covered. None of it has any defining color or theme to it, and each piece has a different insignia on it—trophies from conquest. His Awls sit in paired sheathes on his arms, legs, and hips.
  • Awls of various sizes, which are really just sharpened spikes of metal, sometimes with grooves spiralling down their length. Not even a handle, as Horuhito prefers to use them like drills, inducing a spin in order to give his punches a lethal edge.
• Skills and Abilities
  • The Way of the Cycle: Somewhat ironically for what ended up happening to the revolution back home, Horuhito trained in a martial art that weaponized the idea of cycles in everything. The basic movements of the martial art are built around sweeping, spiraling punches and kicks that deliver light blows while minimizing damage taken into glancing blows across light armor like his own. These motions even extend to one's Ki, allowing it to be externalized and bound to a small object to induce an internal rotation, which he uses to turn simple awls into powerful drills.
  • Reputation: Ha, just kidding, news travels so damn slow that Horuhito's practically a nobody, armed with some paperwork and armor as the only real proof he has that he did anything he says he has.

edited 22nd Aug '14 5:39:00 PM by Taco