The Day of Thunder

[Saru Ranmaru]

猿 蘭丸

Name: Saru Ranmaru
Clan: Dragon Clan
Age: 20
Occupation: Itinerant Philosopher
Marital Status: Unwed
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10”
Build: Ripped, Shredded
Hair: Black with White Highlights
Eyes: Brown
Complexion: Tanned

While the man might say outrageous things, there's no denying that he has trained to meet his ideals. All of that definition has accentuated his natural gifts to make an absolute specimen of a man. He struts around with the confidence of the greatest servant the Kami could ever hope for, perhaps in more ways than one.

His clothing clings to his body, leaving little to the imagination. And those times when he incorporates his family's teachings lead to a truly appealing man. Alas, a man cannot rely solely on the accolades of his ancestors. Instead he must forge his own future!

Hooks

• The Mind Behind Seiyūdō (正雄道): A doctrine in its infancy, Ranmaru is eager to sway others to his path.
• The Body to Behold: For whatever reason, there is seldom a time his chest is not bared for the world.
• The Heart Yearns: Even without his radical beliefs, he would still envy the Emperor and his beloved for what they have.

[Haka Soju]

Haka Soju

Clan: Scorpion
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Build: Average
Hair: Long and dark, worn in tribal braids and loops
Eye: Brown (missing right eye)
Occupation: Spiritsinger / Performer
Marital status: Widow

Haka Soju is a recent member of the Scorpion Clan, having only joined in the past few years. Before that, she was a member of the notoriously superstitious Shoji tribe, prior to their effective dissolution.

Despite everything tribal origins, Soju has become something of a sensation since joining "civilization," on account of her entrancing voice. She's performed at winter courts and festivals all across the southern Empire, much to the satisfaction of her new Clan, who seem to be propping her up as a symbol of "true artistry" in the new Empire.

Unfortunately, Soju's rapidly spreading fame has been tempered by a rash of assassination attempts against her. Thus far, the assassins have escaped capture, but the sheer number of times she had been brought to near-death by a quick blade or poisoned tea have led to a great deal of speculation as to just what the seemingly harmless woman might have done to incur such wrath.

Clad in tribal clothing and eschewing the masks that are becoming more and more common among the Scorpion, it can be difficult to place Soju's Clan at a glance.


Hooks:

• Soju is a talented singer who performs at both public and private events.

• The Shoji (and, indeed, the Haka) are known for being weird, uncomfortably intense, and kinda crazy. Come find out if Soju is one of the sane ones.

• Finding it difficult to adjust to life as a samurai? Soju is still clinging to a whole lot of tribal habits and customs.

• Ask how she lost her eye! Such rudeness.

[Makime Omoi]

Makime Omoi
Lion Clan Courtier

Height: 5’9½”
Build: Needlessly fit
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Brown but noticeably cloudy
Age: 31
Marital Status: Widower

Makime Omoi is a dutiful and enthusiastic who desires only to be of service to his clan and the protect his young daughter. He greatly enjoys not only telling stories but hearing the legends, myths and histories from across the new empire. While initially serving as a soldier Omoi’s failing eyesight forced him to change paths to that of the courtier. He maintains a small estate in his home village where he owns a small paper mill and raises his ten year old daughter Chōjo; though she has accompanied him on this trip. Whatever trials and triumphs may come Omoi hopes to be there and bear witness to history; while he still can.


Would you like to hear a story or have one to tell?
Looking for someone to spar with who won't embarrass you?
Does the history being made around you excite you?
Need paper?
Do you need someone to impartially witness and record something?
Do you have a child between the ages of 9 and 14 you want to find a marriage for?
~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Ainuri]

Name: Ainuri
Clan: White Bear! Never heard?
Age: Legal
Gender: Non-binary
Height: 6'1"
Build: All of nature's glory
Hair: Yes. Shaving is wrong.
Eyes: Ocean
Occupation: Avatar of Bear Power
Marital status: Blissfully unwed

Nooks:
Nothing is known! Very weird, white bear fur-wearing outlander from icy lands you never heard of. But they speak local lingo well enough.

Looks:
Big, wild-eyed, wholesome, glorious. Outlandish clothes and decorative beads they overall appear to be uncomfortable in.

Hooks:
- Chasing in the forest. Clothes are optional.
- I walk with the spirits of nature.
- Barley and honey. The more fermented the better.
- One hundred words for types of ice and snow.
- Unbearable weight of forebears laid bare.

[Hisomu Reo]

Name: Hisomu Reo
Clan: Spider
Age: 41
Occupation: Librarian and healer (*cough* of dangerous spiritual findings)
Marital Status: Married. With kids. Many plus lots of kids.
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6
Build: Wiry, beginning to lose even more mass
Hair: Black
Noteworthy features: Has a bad limp that slows him down. If he shows it to you, it's a very old compound fracture that never set right and didn't have shugenja healing for. That and a inability to socialize.

Reo was one of the last of the Kakita tribe when he set out on a trip to the Shadowlands. As a result of a childhood accident, his leg was mangled making him barely able to walk. Unable to hold a line with the village warriors, and only showing basic competency at all the village craftsmen he was confined to the healer's assistant, eking out a meager living by treating the sick and supplementing their food with animal he hunted with his bow. Living on the edge of tribe life and not fitting in with the social Crane that arrived, Reo saw any chance out of a forgotten, isolated existence slipping away and jumped (figuratively) at the call to rescue the kami Hisomu.

Much changed during the trip: he found a Clan group that welcome him and made him less of a misfit, and made friends his own age. He witnessed wonders and horrors that stuck with him. And, most importantly, he met a fellow Spider named Ninube, who he would marry.

The pair have become sound partners. Hisomu has never forgotten the horrors that he suffered from Jigoku, and Ninube and Reo both witnessed what its corrupting influence could do. Reo in particular had felt its call, and had been the one to experiment and document what the Shadowland corruption could do to living beings. Hisomu was sure that Jigoku had not quietly gone away, and was willing to fund both Reo and Ninube to seek any signs of it throughout the Empire. While Ninube used her skills to quietly slip out and investigate lands, Reo began to set up vaults and laboratories beneath the local branch of the Imperial library, using the building as cover to hide their deeper findings. The assistants the pair gathered and trained became known as the Seekers of Knowledge, though Reo and Ninube both forewent any titles to limit any outside inquiry.

The uptick in madness and transformation of the population over the past 5 years has both been a horror and a compelling puzzle. While seeing signs of the corruption similar to the creatures Reo had found in the Shadowlands, there isn't a consistent pattern of who manifests symptoms. While there are ripple effects after the fact, finding the source has been difficult. Something has called to Reo as winter wanes, and he had set back off for perhaps one last major adventure.

Hooks

• Secure. Contain. Protect The true purpose of the Seekers is to find supernatural threats in the Empire and lock them away before they can cause more harm. And then...to understand them. Maybe you know some of his students.
  
  
• Dissector of Horrors While without any supernatural healing ability, Reo has been studying medicine for most of his life and has dissecting the strange cases and preserving anomalous things to study. If you have something alive or dead you want studied, he's your guy.
  
  
• Veteran of the Pit Were you there at Hisomu's rescue? If so, Reo is likely to have a positive impression of you. He might want to catch up...just don't expect a flowery reunion.
  
  
• Legendarily Not A People Person Reo is notorious for not managing social situations well, and it hasn't gotten any better in the last 20 years.
  
  
• Do you know my kids? Between adoptions and natural births, Reo has a slew of children, some of which have reached adulthood and have begun relationships on their own. Hopefully, the kids have told you that his greeting is nothing personal.
  
  
• A Shot an Arrow into the Air Though he his getting on in years, Reo his still quick on the draw of his bow and considers himself one of the finest shots in the Empire. Not that he's had the chance to use it much lately.

[Nozomi]

Name: Nozomi (Formerly Phi [Formerly Formerly Unknown])
Gender: Female
Age: 38
Species: Human
Faction: Monastic Orders (Order of Heroes)
Religion: Shinseism (proooobably a little heterodox. Let's be real.)
Marital Status: Single (Technically. She and Shinsei have never wed.)

Description:
Nozomi stands at average height with an athletic, toned and scarred body that has seen years of hard labor. Her skin is a ghostly, almost sickly pale and she rarely ventures out into the light of day without wide-brimmed hat to shield her blood-red eyes from the ravages of Lady Amaterasu's rays. Despite the callouses of her hands and every sign and indication that she spends ample time that she can get away with under the sun, her skin remains so white that veins are visible along the edges of her garments and occasional freckling can be seen more prominently. Her lips are paler than usual, and though her short-cropped hair darkened from her childhood, her countenance does make some feel nervous around her because of those bright, blood-red eyes.

She is weathered by years of travel at this point. Not as physically imposing as many who share her company, she is nevertheless strong and healthy as one would be through constant physical exertion. Those beady, piercing eyes tend to stare through a person and seem somehow forever just a little tired. The weight of years begins to gnaw on her in her middle age, much like many of her former kin in the Hikaru people. They are eyes that have seen too much. The thunder rumbles, but it does not crackle as it once did. It is more of an ever present snarl behind the edges of her throat than the bite of vicious light. Still, the constant and frenetic energy of the woman, always seemingly on the verge of doing something... anything, kami help her, is there. She still seems to hate sitting still for long periods when she isn't meditating, and usually prefers to be working: Be this beating something that needs beating with her well worn tonfa, grabbing a hoe to dig a trench or some other manual labor.

She dresses simply, in peasant's clothes, keeping her hair short-cropped. A wide-brimmed straw hat often adorns her head and she wears two tonfa openly in all situations she can get away with it. The only bauble of note on her person is a very old, weathered jade bracelet of Nezumi make that she occasionally runs a finger over.

Personality:
Nozomi is what most in the empire who have had the pleasure of knowing her would call "An Acquired Taste." There are many of the fledgling courtiers of the Crane and Stag who cannot seem to comprehend why a few of the most powerful men and women in the empire tolerate her blunt tone and occasionally brazen attitude, yet still she has a knack for being left to her devices in times when most would not get away with it. Some murmur that it's proof that Shiba is a bit too kind to the monastic orders' oddities, though never where any who care can hear. Those who know her, though, know why she is tolerated and left to her brooding and rough-edged ways. Though her part in many stories is forgotten, the ones who were there remember her.

She is callous to the very edge of rudeness, crass when she can get with it, and blunt as the tonfa she favors. When in court, she behaves herself mostly by shutting her mouth with a click and staring sullenly around as she waits for permission to leave. Her speech can be short, clipped and uncomfortably direct, not to mention the fact that she has an unnerving knack for standing too close and staring people right in the eye in a far too focused way. She understands etiquette enough to not push this too far, but few are the members of the Empire who would say that one of the founders of the Order of Heroes ever actually cared about being 'proper' or 'honorable.' When free with her tongue, her crassness borders on the boorishness of a tribesman, having never seen a point in taming that part of her.

Nevertheless, her brooding is more of a rumbling thunderhead in the distance now. She has seen too much, and it is etched in her eyes. She is always watchful, always precise and a bit on the cautious side, and always a little tired. There is worry etched in her features, though it is without form or detail. She looks and talks like someone who knows something is coming, but can't ever say quite what, sitting on the porch and staring towards the clouds with a face set like flint. She knows it is coming, and she hates it... but hate is attachment, and if her daughter has taught her one thing, it is that her attachments will be the death of her one day.

[Hantei Genji]

Clan: Stag
Age: 22
Occupation: Heir, bushi, father
Marital Status: Married to Kogi formerly of Le Bayushi
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2”
Build: Lithe
Hair: Black
Eyes: Gold
Complexion: Tanned

Description
The Son of the Stag has not changed that much at first glance sine that weird and wicked winter of years ago. He still posses a gentle golden shine on occasion, he still obviously keeps his training up, and is blessed with the metabolism of the young. In general, he still carries himself in the colors of the Stag, as appropriate, mostly good quality yet practical clothing. He does possess a mempo displaying the jaws resembling something like a lion, displayed crimson. Coupled with the helmet of his armor, it proves quite the disturbing image. Those more perceptive will notice the perpetual rings under his eyes, though his disarming personality and endless stories of his family (pre-nuclear nuclear, Tenma-chan and Oto-kun the rascals, and Kogi-chan as the lovely wife) might distract from that.

Hooks:
- Despite being the son of a god walking the earth, Genji seems quite interested in peasant life as well as that of the local samurai
- He loves his family, and will talk endlessly of his family's exploits
- Besides leadership qualities, he still maintains a strict regiment of sparring and physical activity, especially in these times
- He seems perpetually tired, downing a truly enormous amount of tea each day

[Akodo Moshi]

Name: Akodo Moshi
Clan: Lion
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Marital Status: Single

Akodo Moshi is no longer the almost adult who felt like they barely fit in amongst the giants of these expeditions. Instead, half a decade of travel and fighting those who have given up their sense of self-preservation have acted as a crucible that makes the shugenja that stands before the darkness today. The quiet meditation she used to do all the time taken over by tasks assigned by her lord.

Hooks:
(? For now, sick still)

[Kaiu Takuma]

Name: Kaiu Takuma
Clan: Crab Clan
Age: 20
Occupation: Yoshitsune Bushi
Marital Status: Married to the Job
Gender: Male
Height: 6’5”
Build: strong
Hair: Long Black
Eyes: Grey
Complexation: Tanned from time in the Forge

Born the older of twin boys, Takuma was the better of the two in martial prowess. While he was not smartest or the best at making weapons and armor, he was still a Kaiu. When he was home from school, he would help the family business of forging weapons and armor. He'd learned some things about engineering as well.

Takuma has had an honorable career as an Yoshitsune Iron Warrior. With his time on the front lines of the Empire as a Soldier and knowledge of structures, Takuma been a valuable asset to improve the fortifications. He had chosen to go to a different school than the family school, and his brother had chosen to go be an engineer at Kaiu School. Takuma needed to prove his choice was the right one for him, he would from honor to the Clan and family as an Iron Warrior.

Hooks
To help his father and brother to build better armor and blades
Honor for the Clan and the family
Always honing his skills

[Haka Tae-soo]

墓 態水

Name: Haka Tae-soo ("ae as in day", as he'll insist!)
Clan: Scorpion
Tribe:Baekma, Mosu village (village affiliations are imporant for them!)
Age: 19 (Born Year 11)
Occupation: Spirit-talker, Mosu village refugee, Protective brother
Gender: Male presenting
Height: 5’8”
Build: Lean (but surprisingly muscular under the robes!)
Hair: Ash-brown, medium-length, rather tousled
Eyes: Light brown
Wears: Robes w/ geometric, animal and floral patterns; wood/feather earrings; hemp ornaments; headscarf.
Marital Status: In this economy of cursed dreams??

Scorpion and Haka mons on the sleeves of his robes and his one more usual kimono notwithstanding, the first thing most would note about Tae-soo - and his young sibling who'll often be found by his side - is that he's a clear example that some are still holding tight to tribal traditions from the before-times. The intricate patterns on his garments and ornaments - fish, honeysuckle and a variety of geometric shapes, sometimes also other animals and flowers - and the "simpler" natural materials used in them - hemp, wicker, wool, rustic silk here and there - are nothing like the "budding fashion" that starts to be seen in some of the young empire's centres.

The next thing one would see, if they cared to look for it with at least some attention, are the clear marks of weariness on Tae-soo's face. Weariness, and something else. It may not be as obvious at first sight, as the young man's eyes still carry some of what might have been a playful and cherful personality at some point. But the weariness is clearly there, and those in Blue Lotus Village will find the otherwise gentle Scorpion suspicious and guarded, with barely a sign of the playfulness his eyes suggest - except maybe in very specific moments, which he seems intent on guarding from strangers.

One less obvious thing some may note is that he seems drawn to water. Streams, rain, wells, even baths - the chances to find him near such places seem particularly high. He also sometimes seems to talk to himself at times, especially so at these places, and there's a chance one may see a less guarded smile on such occasions.

Also easily noted is the 'faithful companion' often found by Tae-soo's side, Ha-yeong. Darker hair and lighter, almost grey eyes aside, the 14-year-old youngster looks in many ways like a younger version of their 'seonbae' - although considerably more taciturn, irritable and oppositional, which makes for a rather complicated combination. When they do speak, their mid-high pitched words are usually very straightforward - perhaps too much so, as Tae-soo sometimes tries to remember them. Those who interact with them will also notice they never use gendered words to refer to themselves.

Haka Ha-yeong. 墓 河永


Hooks

• How much have you lost due to the cursed dreams? Tae-soo and Ha-yeong might have stories to share in that regard...
• Still see yourself as part of your tribe or village? Sometimes wondering what it even means to be a samurai?
• Fishing? Going out to nature to explore? Carving? Spending time doing 'the usual' things might get Tae-soo to open up a bit!
• Someone you value more highly than yourself and protect with your life? You definitely share something with Tae-soo.

[Otaku]

Name: Otaku
Clan: Ki-rin
Age: Late 20s, maybe early 30s
Gender: Female
Height: 5’1”
Build: Sturdy and wiry
Hair: Long, straight, plain
Eyes: Mid-brown
Occupation: Warrior, horse-mistress, utterly devoted retainer
Marital status: Married to Ide of the Ki-rin (and her work)

Appearance:
Otaku is not a tall woman, though sometimes people don't realize exactly how not-tall until she's actually standing near them with feet on the ground. She has an air of wiry solidity, regardless of her lack of height. Her expression often seems a little distant or abstracted, though alert. She's a quiet person, tending to choose few words or none when many words aren't really needed, though when she does speak it is always with intention. Her voice is, surprisingly enough, very beautiful--round, rich, and sweet.

Her clothes, weapons, and other equipment are of an appropriate quality for one of Lady Shinjo's close retainers, and they're neat and well-kept, but no more than that. She doesn't seem to take much interest in fine things, or in dressing her hair elaborately (if it's not loose, it's in a simple tail) or wearing ornaments.

And there's the horse, of course. Got out of one of Shinjo's own favorite mares, Tsubame has all the glamor and flash his mistress eschews. He isn't a white horse (though who knows what legends might make of him later, if he's lucky), but rather a dapple-gray one, nearly white on his body with smoky dark points on his nose and legs. Vocal where his rider is quiet, showy where she's plain, Tsubame is gorgeous and he clearly knows it.

Reputation:
Though she's still somewhat young by the standards of the long-lived Kami and their companions, Otaku has been a close retainer of Lady Shinjo for several years now. She is the step-daughter of one of Otaku's longest-standing daimyo, Jin; almost as soon as the scarred priest introduced his new bride and her daughter to Shinjo, Otaku cleaved to the Lady and has been devoted to her service ever since. She clearly has found favor with Lady Shinjo, quickly rising to become one of Shinjo's lieutenants after her majority.

Otaku is known to love riding, and to share the Ki-Rin Kami's interest in breeding fast and lovely coursers out of the stubby horses of the Rokugani plains. She is wed to another one of Shinjo's followers, with whom she has several children.

Conversation Seeds

• Though she dislikes leaving Shinjo's side for very long, Otaku has ridden here and there across Rokugan on various tasks for her lady. You might have seen her.
• Horses are fascinating, right?
• Otaku has three children. Perhaps you're a more experienced parent--or a less experienced one?
• As dedicated as any to the warrior path.
• Otaku's stepfather is a shugenja and she spent most of her teens around many priests; though not called to the path herself, she's reverent of the spirits and somewhat conversant with priestly rituals.

[Kaijarisuigyo]

Name: Jugemu Gokō-no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo Suigyōmatsu... Kaijarisuigyo... Kai
Faction: Unaligned
Age: Yes (look 20-something)
Gender: No (any pronoun; look femme)
Occupation: Warrior
Marital status: None

Definitely not a dream spirit who fled to the human world to escape the advance of corruption, Kai showed up in the uncharted land between the Crab, Dragon and Spider four years ago, and has since been witnessed taking crash courses in everything, a true bulimia for knowledge that drove her from place to place in constant search for new teachers.

And sometimes she kills nasty things by hitting them with swords, rocks, her bare hands, depend what she can reach.

Hooks

• Big damn hero, of the folk tale variety
• Terrible at hiding her incarnated spirit nature
• Humans need knowledge to compensate for the weakness of their frail mortal bodies

[Matsu]

Name: Matsu
Clan: Spider
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Height: 6'8"
Build: Amazonian
Hair: Raven black, long, usually kept in a long ponytail.
Eyes: Coal-black
Occupation: Daimyo
Marital status: Unmarried

Capsule Description:
The daughter of an old bandit lord, she has the physicality of someone raised in that harsh life, even if tempered by the new age. Strong and athletic, the woman is quiet, yet prone to a temper when provoked. A working knowledge of every weapon, and a dedicated focus to the sword and the heavy spear, Matsu views herself as to what all Samurai should strive to be. Consumate warriors, dedicated to protecting their clans.

In the time since the first winter Court, the former Hisomu has risen to have been granted the right to lead a Family of the Spider, and is very active as Daimyo. She commands from the front, often leading patrols and warriors to battle with her own fierce tenacity.

At home, she has borne two children, from two different warriors who served with her on the front lines of two different campaigns. Yet no one has proven worthy to be the spouse of the fierce Spideress.

Hooks

• The little girl from the Seppun village, the adolescent who traveled to hell. She's all grown up. Stoic and strong, she sees her fate tied into the Empire itself.
•  "From this day forth, there will be emnity between those who share the blood in my veins and the House of Doji." - She hates the entirety of the Crane Clan, and especially those who bear the name Doji, given the insult their princess gave to her father at a shitty play five years ago. Especially when proven their clan houses demonfuckers.
• Lord and Lady - She leads her family, the Matsu, with both compassion and fierceness, because she holds herself to try and live up to the ideal of 'The Perfect Samurai', whatever that may come to mean...

[Kai]

Name: Kai
Clan: Unaligned
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Long silky black
Eyes: Gray
Occupation: Hunter and traveling artist

Not much is known of Kai. He just is a wandering traveler that randomly appeared here one day.

[Hiruma Naraku]

Name: Hiruma Naraku
Clan: Crab Clan
Age: 20
Occupation: Witch Hunter
Marital Status: Unwed
Gender: Male
Height: 6’
Build: Lithe, Athletic
Hair: Jet Black
Eyes: Green
Complexion: Pale

Hiruma's son is an odd man. A man who has earned a fame as a tireless and ruthless hunter of monsters and corrupted alike, as a man whose knowledge and use of poison is openly flaunted in his methodic extermination of those that deviate from purity and as a man who, despite his noble goal and birth, has earned no little amount of caution and fear from his clan peers. Yet for all his fame, Naraku could not be bothered in the least, persisting in his craft and quest with almost fanatical zeal.

Physically speaking he is not hard on the eye; pale near porcelain skin, a face with sharp features and piercing green eyes that is crowned by a mane of long slick jet hair that flows down his shoulders. Yet any that meet him can't deny there is something off, a disturbing sensation that makes the hairs in the back of the hair straighten and that has earned him his ruthless reputation.

Hooks:

• Have you met my sister? - Naraku is the twin brother of Hiruma Kanna, a shinning promise of the Crab that lost her life in the early days of the Yume Jigoku corruption. (Pm for more information if interested)

• Poison Master - Naraku is better know for his knowledge and use of diverse concoctions and toxins in his fights against the corrupted.

• Toxic Gift - If you are from the Crab, you might have heard about Naraku's gift (Pm for more information)

• Hatred for the Corrupted - Naraku is obsessive in his pursuit to uncover, unroot and unmake the corrupted. He also seems to revel in dishing out this hatred with utmost prejudice. This is something that is not common among the followers of Hida

• Child of the Reeds - Despite being Hiruma's child, his twin sister and him are not related by blood to him. They were found as newborns deep in the Shinomen by the Crab when they uprooted their Clan and moved to to the north.

[Saru Shang]

Name: Saru Shaung
Clan: Dragon Clan
Age: Nearing Mid-20’s
Occupation: Wandering Dragon, Languishing Artisan, Bored Courtier, Leisure Huntswoman, Passive Philosopher
Marital Status: Single
Gender: Female
Height: 5'3”
Build: Slender
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Brown
Complexion: Fair

It was perhaps strange to believe that just a generation ago, her predecessors were uncertain of their day-to-day when it came to their survival. Everything had changed once they joined the Saru in the Dragon Clan. Civilization and culture were something that grew experientially in a short amount of time, that is where Shang found herself in most of her childhood, pioneering a path that had little precedence save for the knowledge taunt by their founders. However, perhaps her innate ancestral sentiments found this a bit unusual. It felt strange that progress would find itself in a sure direction. Naturally, she felt a bit cautious and uncertain, although that bit of skepticism would express itself in a passive muse and some sarcasm here and there.

Shang dresses in courtly fashion in silken flowing robes, perhaps as a necessity of her training. Her silken black hair is often pinned and/or braid, adorned with hairpins or flowers. She seems delicate and slender, spared of the hardships on the uncertain road that her parents had to endure. Rather than having that obligation pushed onto her, she was instead devoted to the future of progress and culture. Nothing that she had a say in but it was the only life she knew. However, she found herself wanting to reconnect to the old ways. Sometimes her sleeves would be rolled up, her sandals dirtied, and sporting a bow.

Hooks For You:
-What is contentment to you? Have you found it or are you still looking for it?
-What is our purpose here? Your purpose?
-What is considered entertainment? Especially, now that we're all here and in this place?
-What do you suppose is beyond the fog? Any emerging patterns? Do they remind you of anything?

[Ryoshun Yukara]

Name: Ryoshun Yukara
Clan: Bat
Age: Unsure, likely early 20s
Occupation: Itinerate Deputy
Married: No
Sex: Female
Height: 5'4"
Build: Scrawny
Hair: Black
Eyes: Tiger's Eye

Yukara wasn't always a monk, or a clanswoman. That much is obvious from her tribal garb and lingering accent, and the somewhat stubborn way she uses the terms of status now bandied about by Samurai and such civilized people. Her background is largely unknown, and her presence is heralded only by rumor of a travelling warrior monk with the eyes of a demon cat, one that visits as madness overtakes the people... and who leaves blood and misery in her wake.

Yukara tries not to pay the rumors any mind, but her reality is little better - attempting to forestall the encroaching madness in the realm leads her to often stumble across those in the process of falling... and too many of them are beyond saving. The only help she can offer being a clean death.

If not for a chance encounter with a mysterious teacher, she might not even be here, but perhaps it was fate that set her on this path. She could only hope as much - for every day spent at this festival is one more day waiting for answers that may never come... and were it not so difficult to find a path forward on her own, she might not have come at all.

Appearance: Yukara is a pale woman, with mid-length black hair that is often braided away from her face, falling to her mid-back. She is quite lean, with small womanly charms largely lost entirely in her baggy attire - she wears a muted tunic and loose pants, tied at the ankles and waist, over which she wears an old tribal priests rainment and some of her armor - the rest only donned for battle. Her eyes are striking and discomforting, looking like the eyes of a demon cat of legend, amber-gold with slit pupils, and her teeth have a certain 'fangy' quality, even though she appears to be possessed of no spiritual powers tied to that lineage. Her forehead is marked by two small red marks, perhaps a tribal practice, lost to time.

UPDATE: As of Day 3, her right arm is missing from the shoulder joint, the sleeve tied off at the elbow and flapping loosely.


Hooks:
Do you like philosophy and religious discussion? Yukara does some of that.
You fight things? Yukara does some of that too.
You enjoy a good drink? Yukara also does.
Yes, my grandmother was a demon cat, no I don't have any magical powers. Sorry to disappoint you.

[Akodo Kenji]

Name: Akodo Kenji
Clan: Lion Clan
Age: 19 (Born Year 11)
Occupation: Warrior and Guard.
Marital Status: Single
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10”
Build: Muscular
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amber
Complexion: Tanned

Description: Kenji is tall for your average Rokugani, though not so towering as some of the other's here, his frame covered with well-developed muscles from years of exercise. Scars are evident on his forearms, proof likely that while he is still young, he has seen more than one battle in his short years. His hands are callused and used to holding both sword and bow both in practice and in battle. His amber eyes are clear and filled with confidence, something that can be seen in the way his stance and stride. One can often catch the scent of freshly cut grass when in his presence though it's faint and hard to say he is the source.

Personality: Kenji is generous with a smile, and while confident in his abilities he has a relaxed and easy-going personality. He is easy to laugh though he can also be serious when the place and circumstances require. Occasionally he can be a bit distracted, but such moments tend to pass quickly, as he tries to keep himself focused on the present.

Hooks: Coming soon.

[Isawa Kyosei]

Name: Isawa Kyosei
Clan: Imperial
Age: 51ish winters old. Probably.
Sex: Male
Occupation: Shugenja/Mine overseer/Trader
Height: 5'8
Build: Blocky
Hair: Solidly gray throughout.
Eyes: Brown
Status: Married to the daughter of Isawa Ouno.

Once a mine worker for the Isawa Tribe, Kyosei was discovered to have had the ability to call upon the Kami when the mine collapsed, and he used his own blood to keep the roof from crushing himself and two others. When he and the others were brought out, he was given to Ouno, brother of the Tribe leader, to train.

He was eventually acknowledged by Ouno to be proficient with the magics of Earth, Fire, and a little water, and then betrothed to Ouno's daughter. He has advanced as well in the matter of mine-work, and now governs the very mine he was once almost killed in.

He was sent by Ouno to investigate what the rumors are saying about these bright beings that fell, not as a tribal representative, but Ouno's own representative. He is also to keep an eye out for trade possibilities, particularly if he can find a good site for a mine here. Sadly, he found few trade possibilities, and also that he was not too fond of most of the Kami. Shiba seemed acceptable, and Hantei has his points, but several of the others aren't to his taste.

Since returning, he has been married, had his wife give birth to 4 babes, 3 of which managed to survive the harsh Isawa winters, and studied the strange stones he found on his journey. He still carries around parts of it, including the big piece, which he continues to work on to this day.

He went on the Heaven-Fell expedition as a method of gaining a favor from Reiko, and a few others, to be used later. After all, if they succeed, a god will owe him - how many can truly say that? He has, from that expedition, gained some appreciation for Shinjo and the former Fu Leng. He also became closer to Jiyo Sora, and Jin.

From them, and with some help, he convinced the Isawa to join in the Library exchange, and then to join the Empire. He did not garner any personal power from that - in some ways seeming to step away from the center of the Courts. But, he has helped a little. He also has been known to be called by a new nickname - Granite. The source isn't known to most, but is presumed to have something to do with his mine.

Of late, he has been traveling more and more. Sometimes trading, sometimes leading scouting expeditions for more trade goods. Occasionally he present a (very poorly drawn) map for consideration.

[Chuchu]

Chuchu, Nameseeker of the Great People, Friend of Humans

Name: It's taboo to ask a shaman their Name!
Caste: Shaman (Nameseeker rank) Dreamwalker
Age: 4; she's prepubescent, equiv to very young teen
Gender: Girl
Height: 3'5 including her big ole ears, her small size makes her look even younger
Build: Still has her roly-poly babyfat
Eyes: Black
Fur: Splashed white, black, roan, lilac-blue brindle, her fur is a riot of colors and patterns.
Skin: Dark blue-gray ears, paws, tail
Features of Interest: Her face is pure black -- her fur's largest solid marking being this 'mask'. Wears crystals in her hair, golden bangles, as well as a fine silk dress and ribbons. Keeps a golden ceremonial dagger tucked in her girdle.
Marital status: She's not old enough for crushes yet! Though it won't be long 'til then...

Somehow this sleepy child traveled across the empire all on her own. Intent on preventing the corruption of the Dreaming, she's already accepted it may mean her young life is forfeit. This doesn't seem to worry her much. So long as her Name is carried on to the next generation, so long as the corruption is stopped, so long as her people and the humans become allies, it will all be worth it. The future is all that matters.