A Samurai Revenge Story [Recruitment Open]

[Primarch]

'Aoki Masanori was honourable,
Aoki Masanori was respectabele,
Aoki Masanori was beloved by his people,
and Aoki Masanori was slain.'

Though the Daimyō Inoue Ryuichi justice for the murder of Aoki Masanori, for his is savvy in the way of politics and favoured by the Shogun, while Aoki Masanori had no mind for games of politics and had dedicated his life to improving the lives of those around him.

There are some however who knew Aoki Masanori well and loved him. If the Shogun will not grant justice, they shall take matters into their own hands. For the Daimyō is a powerful man and has surrounded himself with skilled assassins and dangerous criminals. They may march to death, but shall march in honour.

The above is a very brief pitch for a game I would like to start set during the early Edo period of Japan. The game is inspired by a bunch of really great recent media including Blue Eye Samurai, Shogun & Ghost of Tsushima. The idea is that a very kind, well intended man has been murdered and his killer, cunning & ambitious that he is, is unlikely to see justice and so our characters will go about trying to see it done, though we certainly may have some characters who are joining the group for other reasons (they might have a separate personal beef with our villain or perhaps someone else in his court) but ultimately this RP is about a band of Samurai-esque misfits trying to avenge a murder.

While I list this is as 'Samurai' revenge story I'm very open to other characters that we often see in similar media, such as the Archer,the Onna-musha, the Monk, the Shinobi, the Geisha (I think I'll play a Ronin) etc, etc.

Before launching into the game I'm hoping to check interest. Ideally I'm looking for players who are willing to contribute to the overall game beyond just tagging along for the ride. I understand with games here it is ultimately better to have someone in a lead position to help give things a general direction so I will still be the admin, but I also plan on playing in the game and it would be absolutely smashing if those involved were willing to shoulder some of the burden in making a game happen.

What to expect in this RP

• Sword fights, probably with backflips & shit
• Sake
• Cozy scenes at camp under the starlight
• Maybe the real Samurai are the friends we made along the way
• A discord server, to help plotting & world building (joining is optional but encouraged)

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[Outcast]

Would there be any supernatural elements to this, whether chi-powered martial arts or a panoply of spirits and monsters?

[AmandaShow]

Consider me interested. Officially~

[Primarch]

Would there be any supernatural elements to this, whether chi-powered martial arts or a panoply of spirits and monsters?

Good question! I'm actually of two minds here and I've been jumping between for/against the inclusion of supernatural elements. So I think it would be something I'd be keen to hear the thoughts on those that get involved.

Consider me interested. Officially~

Delighted!

[Andronica]

I'm fresh off the Shogun and Ghost of Tsushima train so count me doubly intrigued. Moreso if there's elements of fantasy/the supernatural.

Who doesn't love a li'l mischievous bakeneko looking to warm her paws at a campfire? And hearing some convenient declarations of vengeance which she could be of help with...

Of course a geisha or onna-musha (perhaps taking up the oath of her late father or brother) would be equally delightful roles!

[Primarch]

Hey Andro~!

Any of the above options could be ideal. Here's hoping we get a few more bites.

[Etah dna Evol]

I might be interested. I'd play a non-Samurai Law Enforcment character that wields two Jitte. 

BTW you mentioned playing a Ronin. You probably already know this, but if Aoki Masanori was a Samurai Lord, when he died any samurai pledged to him would automatically be Ronin. I can totally see the revenge angle there.

[Nowherewoman]

Tentative interest. It's a period and setting I know little about, but I've always been a fan of Wuxia (I know, I know- that's Chinese).

Possibly a Samurai-class woman who moonlights as a masked vigilante type.


*Koffkoff* And I enjoyed Shogun the FIRST time around...🤺

[Primarch]

I might be interested. I'd play a non-Samurai Law Enforcment character that wields two Jitte.

Go for it.  

Tentative interest. It's a period and setting I know little about, but I've always been a fan of Wuxia (I know, I know- that's Chinese).

Possibly a Samurai-class woman who moonlights as a masked vigilante type.


*Koffkoff* And I enjoyed Shogun the FIRST time around...🤺

The whippersnappers with their new Shogun!

[Etah dna Evol]

Possibly a Samurai-class woman who moonlights as a masked vigilante type.

I was reading about law enforcement during the Edo period. In the early Edo Period, there were Gōyokiki or mMeakashi.

They were a non-samurai who were employed by the people and/or merchants of a town to work as "police assistants," and they were usually former criminals. They would never be Samurai but if this was like, the daughter of a Samurai Lord who believed the Shogunate system was totally corrupt she could create this alternate low-class persona that essentially does act as a vigilante. 

[Nowherewoman]

I was reading about law enforcement during the Edo period. In the early Edo Period, there were Gōyokiki or mMeakashi.

They were a non-samurai who were employed by the people and/or merchants of a town to work as "police assistants," and they were usually former criminals. They would never be Samurai but if this was like, the daughter of a Samurai Lord who believed the Shogunate system was totally corrupt she could create this alternate low-class persona that essentially does act as a vigilante. 

After some research, I'm leaning towards a kunoichi/arukimiko whose clan owed Aoki-san a debt. She doesn't even know what the debt was; she's simply paying it.

[Andronica]

After some research, I'm leaning towards a kunoichi/arukimiko whose clan owed Aoki-san a debt. She doesn't even know what the debt was; she's simply paying it.

She sounds great, NWW! I'm still torn between a geisha or onna-musha, though will probably lean towards the former if we can have supernatural elements. I'd have to think about how she can contribute to a roving band of ronin and other mixed company ofc but that's a query for future Andro should the opportunity for a bakeneko arise.

[Primarch]

I've sent you all a link to the discord server for this game.
For those of you who don't use discord, there's a vote I started to determine out supernatural/fantasy elements with three options. If you can't join the server feel free to register a vote here:

Historic' - An RP set in a realistic version of Edo Period Japan with no presence of the supernatural (though characters may certainly believe in the supernatural).

'Low Fantasy' - The player characters will be human but likely capable of limited superhuman feats, spirits and magic will be present to a small extent. Comparable to 'The Witcher.'

'High Fantasy' - Magic & Monsters around every corner. Player Characters can be human or some sort of spirit/creature of myth. Inoue Ryuichi is probably some sort of Oni in disguise.

[Primarch]

Update from the discord.
Low Fantasy is currently in the lead.

[Nowherewoman]

We needs us some wire-fu!

/e Keanu

[Miss Nyx]

I dig this thought Primarch. 😃 I’m at Group capacity, but I might lurk on this for sure.

[ThatGuy285]

Interested!!

[Primarch]

Okay, we're now ready to start accepting characters. Please see my own below to see what a completed app should look like, send via PM when ready:

Character: Isshin Takemura (宅村一心)
Profession: Ronin
Player: Primarch

Special skills

• Kensai - Isshin was trained in the Niten Ichi-ryū Dojo and earned the Menkyo Kaiden, indicating his mastery in their martial arts and granting permission for him to found his own Dojo and teach independently. He later trained at the Jigen-ryū Dojo until he had achieved the same mastery. Demonstrations of his skill in formal and public duels, along with work he has done as a Ronin and authoring philosophical texts lead to his peers begrudgingly consider him a kensai or, Sword Saint. While exceptionally skilled with the sword & unarmed he is, by his own admission, far from equally skilled with the bow.
• Medicine - While far from being a physician Isshin has developed sufficient capability in basic medicine to keep himself or others in one piece until better options are available. He is educated and skilled in matters of herbal medicine and acupuncture.
• Carousing - Not something one would consider a 'skill' in the traditional sense but there are some very particular situations where being able to drink everyone in the room under the table. While there are a handful of other Samurai who might be able to defeat Isshin in single combat on a good day there are none who can put away as much sake especially if they hope to maintain some level of situational awareness.

Personality:

• Stoic - Perhaps it is intense zen from years of meditation or perhaps as a Ronin he has learned to suffer the ridicule of others. Regardless of the source Isshin is difficult to phase and slow to indicate he is struggling or in pain. Typically he simply adjusts or deals with anything causing him difficulty.
• Honourable - While the Ronin are often looked down upon for not displaying the expected loyalty to a Master Isshin is undoubtably a man of honour. Integrity & courage come naturally to him.
• Self-indulgent - Isshin once famously said "half my money I spend on sake, women and hot springs. The rest I just waste."

History:

• Isshin was born to a small clan. Those days were typical for a boy intended to be a Samurai. He was educated at home and along with his brothers was introduced to the lifestyle, studying sword, bow, spear and horse. It was a simple but happy life.
• While still young his family hosted a passing wanderer who, during his stay, noted Isshin display impressive potential for a boy his age. He encourged Isshin's father to consider sending the boy to the Niten Ichi-ryū where he taught. Convinced on the matter Isshin was eventually sent. He would spend the next seven years at the Dojo where he became a true warrior. Natural talented paired with excellent tutelage and no small amount of hard work produced a highly skilled warrior. When he started competing in tournaments and official duels he earned his first element of fame. It was also during this point he encountered a Samurai trained by the Jigen-ryū Dojo. Impressed by the style Isshin made the decision to take it on as his second Dojo and relocated to train there.
• Having mastered the skills of two Dojo it was expected Isshin would return home permanently to serve Clan & Lord. Freedom however had infected his spirit and Isshin did not desire a life of servitude. He asked to be relinquished from service to his Clan and his father advised he could do so only after completing two conditions he could defeat his four brothers in combat. This was obviously a mistake on his fathers part as Isshin was already very well known as one of the finest swordsmen in Japan and he absolutely thrashed his siblings. The second condition however was to his mother permission, knowing full well she wanted nothing more than for her son to be home where she could have him close by and find him a bride. Isshin hadn't considered that but was forced to accept the term, knowing full well it would break her heart to see him leave.
• Over the last few years Isshin has wandered Japan entering duels and tournaments for modest reward, fortunately the real reward are the patrons such events bring. Isshin has often taken work as a bodyguard with his reputation allowing him to charge a considerable fee. Once the need for him is removed, his latest patron can be free of his financial burden and Isshin is free to ride off into the sunset...or at least the best local place to drink sake, fuck geisha, suffer a hangover in the hotsprings and write poetry once he's back to form.

Relationships/Connections:

• TBD
• TBD
• TBD

Secrets/Gossip:

• Like any student of the Niten Ichi-ryū Isshin carries both katana and wakizashi though he seems to typically fight with a single katana closer to the style of Jigen-ryū Dojo. His katana is called Arashi no Shisha or 'Stormbringer.' It is said to be forged of Star metal and features unique rippled patterns on the blade. It is said the blade can harm any creature, natural or otherwise.
• It is said Aoki Masanori once saved his life and Isshin later saved his life in return. Though Aoki never hired Isshin as a bodyguard  or similar Isshin would visit once a year. They would feast, celebrate and Isshin would tell his stories from the road. He considered Aoki a kind and honourable man.
• Pendingp/i]

[Nowherewoman]

Character: Tetsu Chō
Profession: Flower seller/Kunoichi
Player: NowhereWoman

Special skills

• Ninjitsu: Chou has been trained by one who learned from a student of the legendary Umemura Sawano. Skilled in disguises and misdirection, she is able to pass as anything from a beggar to a member of the Imperial Court. While competent enough with a short blade, her real expertise lies in the blow gun and shuriken, and she is a lethal hand-to-hand fighter. Despite her short hair, always has a sharpened hair stick in it
• Botany/toxicology: Both by training and inclination, Chou is a skilled gardener, and well-versed in both plant toxins and herbal remedies.
• Religious ritual: Thanks to her early upbringing, Chou is famililar with the forms of most Shinto rituals- enough so to easily pass as a priestess.

Personality:

• Focused: it is difficult to get Chou to engage in small talk or anything not directly related to her assignment. Her intensity can give her an affect often interpreted as cold.
• Soft-spoken: She has all the manners expected of a woman of the period, up to and including apologizing for taking one's life.
• Champion of the Underdog: she bristles at injustice, especially those directed towards women, children, or the honest but unfortunate.

History:

• Chō is a foundling, left shortly after birth at the threshold of a jinja in a snowstorm. Raised for a time among themiko, she was formally adopted when she was 9 by one of the priests.
• When she was seen trying to imitate several of the priests pratcticing Muso-Ryu, her foster father decided to teach her the basics of self-defense.
• Once she was thirteen, and her skills had progressed, she was approached by one of the other shrine Maidens and indoctrinated into a secret society. Known as the Kakusareta seigi no michi ('Hidden Justice Way'), they are a non-clan of Arukimiko and Kunoichi who serve none of the established noble Houses, instead concentrating on righting wrongs. Now, at 19, Chuo has taken several lives and undertaken a handful of spying missions for her sorority.

Relationships/Connections:

• TBD
• TBD
• TBD

Secrets/Gossip:

• Betrothed to a man she's never met- she's managed to use religious and clan duties to keep pushing off the wedding.
• Secretly prefers the company of women.
• TBD

[Primarch]

I dig this thought Primarch. 😃 I’m at Group capacity, but I might lurk on this for sure.

I always knew you liked to watch ;D

[Outcast]

Character: Yanagi no Musume (Willow’s Daughter) / Kibo (Hope)
Profession: Exorcist & Dancer
Player: Outcast

Special skills

• Taoist Exorcist (Expert): most of Kibo’s magic requires an hour or more of preparation and ritual, but can be impressive once complete: her willow swords, for example, can be made as hard and sharp as steel and inflict disproportionately terrible wounds on supernatural foes… but the enchantment only lasts till the next sunrise.  Other bindings and wardings tend to be similarly restricted by preparation and duration, while some of the most impressive techniques she has learned require impractically expensive ingredients (most often jade).  For non-violent efforts, the more precisely she can define her ritual the more impact it is likely to have - the true name of the specific entity to be affected is especially helpful.
• Taoist Alchemist and Diviner (Apprentice): effects here could individually be taken as matters of mere good fortune, but are fairly reliably replicable: she can bolster a patient’s resistance to disease or poison, speed healing, reduce the risk of scarring, prepare herself to stay alert for a full night and day, and so on.  Her divinations range from minor aid on specific questions about the immediate future (“that house is a place of death”) to accurate, portentous, and useless advice on the future - “water will be inauspicious for you” might be anything from advice against going on a sea-voyage to a warning that your drink has been poisoned.
• Dance of the Steel Butterfly:  A dance-based art employing twin blades - from large hairpins to short swords - with some tuition in unarmed combat.  It can be used as mere performance, but when armed and moving at full speed it makes for an unconventionally dangerous challenge.

Personality:

• Eccentric: the heir to ancient traditions that long since went out of fashion in Japan, Kobi sees herself as both the guardian of old truths and the practitioner of vital arts which most people can now access only in the pale imitations practiced by the Onmyoji ‘purifiers’.  Even the terms she uses to describe the world are often archaic or foreign in origin.
• Moral: Kibo is driven to protect the world from spiritual corruption, and to help those in need.  She’s unfashionably concerned with concepts like innocence and redemption.
• Pensive: enjoying not merely study for its own sake, but also opportunities to think, Kibo is (often quietly) curious about the places and people she encounters, and tends to want to know more about how the world works.  It’s all connected, after all.

History:

• Part of a lineage of preservers of some of the ‘old ways’ of Taoism, Kibo spent most of her childhood happily oblivious to quite how unconventional her upbringing and world-view were.  To her, a focus upon spiritual matters (both internal and external) was absolutely normal, as was being taught to take the fight to corrupting influences through both word and blade.
• It was during her ‘field’ apprenticeship that Kibo first crossed paths with some of Aoki Masanori’s officers, gaining respect for the values required of them by their lord… and over the course of the next few years, she came to Masanori’s personal attention by dealing with a couple of problems that had proved insoluble for his merely-mundane followers.  Her opinion of some of those in service to the daimyo, however, was not so good - with some of his agents seeming to have particularly malign impacts upon the spiritual health of areas they affected.
• Having withdrawn to the wilds to further work on her arts, it took some time for word of Aoki Masanori’s murder to reach Kibo - but now that it has, she has (with the frustratingly limited aid of her divinatory gifts) set about locating others who might help her to take steps to correct this grievous imbalance.

Relationships/Connections:

Secrets/Gossip:

• She’s a nutter: not only does she wander the countryside on her own, she plays with mirrors and potions, carries wooden prop ‘swords’, and does daft things like washing her eyes with willow leaves before proclaiming that she can ‘see the unseen’.  Best avoided, if you want to avoid tarnishing your reputation!
• Lady of (somewhat) negotiable virtue: for all her eccentricity, she does seem to be aware of the need for money, and will dance - really rather well - for pay.  Attempts to claim much more than that might be painful, however.
• Do-Gooder (or Con-Artist): “Willow’s Daughter” aids (or preys upon) peasants and travellers whenever superstition takes hold, and they get too scared of the dark.  Though there’re some rumours of a lord or two having found her useful, surely she’s nothing more than a charlatan taking advantage of the credulous.  It’s not as if monsters really haunt the dark, is it?

[Andronica]

Character: Takemura Inari. Uses the pseudonym Tsuchiya Shinju
Profession: Onna-musha
Player: Andronica

Special Skills:

• Bakeneko no ko - Various strange affinities have blessed Inari since childhood.  Quick reflexes, scarily quiet steps, and falls from what would be an obviously painful height can be brushed off with ease.
• Two Sight -  She has a knack for 'knowing' people and can glean a lot about a person on their first meeting, as well as paying special mind to body language to anticipate trouble. Inari can also view the world through another's eyes, albeit briefly. It requires her total concentration and those under this influence may be subject to mild headaches.
• Kyūjutsu - From the age of 11 to 17, Inari received extensive training in the Ogasawara-ryū style of fighting from her mother. It's style is known for archery, horsemanship, and etiquette. She carries a well crafted hankyū that she's quite accurate with.

Personality:

• Diplomatic - Raised in a small clan with a strong mother means Inari carries herself with learned charm and grace for a diplomatic presentation. Failing diplomacy, Inari has a brother twice her size who will happily hurl any baka who gives her a wayward glance
• Willful - Perhaps the single trait that lent her mother and father much to groaning over her behaviour. While Inari is a model child from youth, her bordering obsession with her elder brother has made her very determined. Once she sets her mind to a task, she cannot be swayed.
• Clever - Inari has the intelligence to recognize when to keep quiet and observe, and the foresight to understand when to act. Her actions are never without a means to an end.

History:

• Inari was raised in a small clan with five elder brothers. Her mother instilled a strong sense of decorum in Inari, while her father's mind for justice and order together created a well behaved child. As she got older, however, she began to look up to her oldest brother Isshin and emulated his talent for swords and poetry. While all of her brother's were famed for their swordsmanship, Isshin could put them all to task before she even blossomed into a woman. Seeing him come back from the dojo to in turn politely reject the way of their clan and Lord in pursuit of freedom was inspiring.
• Rather than feel overshadowed and bitter as the youngest and only girl, she used this place among her siblings to instil a sense of competition and determination in herself. At 11 her mother began to teach her skills following the Ogasawara-ryū style for its etiquette and riding; her mother considered this a noblewoman's art. By 17 she became an accomplished rider and excelled in yabusame. Her father gifted her a grey dun mare she named Kaze.
• At 18 she met the patriarch Masanori Aoki during the first of many annual feasts between he and Isshin to celebrate saving one another's lives. During the festivities she was paired with Aoki's son Daisuke in a very auspicious betrothal. The two were married later that same year but Isshin missed the wedding (she will probably never let Isshin live it down).
• Over the next decade, Inari enjoyed a noble lifestyle even though no heir was produced from her union with Daisuke. That was until Aoki's murder and the subsequent killing of his eldest son, Daisuke. Newly widowed, Inari shed her soft kimonos to pick up her yumi and armour again... but she will need help on her quest for vengeance.

Relationships/Connections:

• Isshin - She is a professional brother-minder. Despite their difference of 9 years, Inari always looked up to her brother for his strength and skill with a blade... and no one can drag him out of a brothel faster than his sister. She touts a lot of their mother's mannerisms which may be why he is such a good listener even if he does so begrudgingly.  Although Inari saw much less of him since her marriage, she keeps a watchful eye on him through retainers - even when he's off making and burning a fortune a hundred prefectures away.
• Aoki & Daisuke - Late father-in-law and husband, respectfully.

Secrets/Gossip:

• Inari learned to swim only out of necessity. Her brothers used to toss her into the river by their home (during play of course) but she has harboured a deep rooted fear of water since.
• One could speculate that the special gifts Inari possesses are due to doting on the family's calico. He lived a lavish life before wandering into the forest at the ripe age of 22 where he was not seen again.

Notes:

• Inari carries with her a concealed daiken bearing the Masanori family crest. More for sentimentality than use, although, the poetic justice of using it to strike a killing blow to Aoki's murderer has not evaded her.
• Names are special to Inari and she takes the convention very seriously, which is why she resumed using her mother's maiden name, Tsuchiya. To be grounded and unmoving like the resolve of the earth. She still carries adoration for her late betrothed in her heart which is why she chose to avenge her father-in-law, Aoki. Similarly, the pseudonym Shinju is a callback to the nickname her father gave her as a child: my pearl.
• Although she looks diminutive, beneath the layers of kimono is a lean muscled and agile figure that does not quite fit the conventional beauty standards. Inari loves to eat and her body more easily picked up muscle mass during training thanks to her bottomless pit of a stomach. Mochi and onigiri are favourites.