The Day of Thunder

[Canary]

A list of characters led by Shinsei to a mysterious festival in the northern foothills.

Imperial Families
x. Jiyo Sora

Bat Clan
x. Ryoshun Huan
x. Ryoshun Nao
x. Ryoshun Yukara

Crab Clan
x. Anjing
x. Yoshitsune Ayako
x. Kaiu Tai
x. Kaiu Takuma
x. Hiruma Naraku

Crane Clan
x. Nanzi Ai
x. Doji Hikaru

Dragon Clan
x. Togashi Satsuki
x. Wu Zhe
x. Saru Ranmaru
x. Saru Shang

Ki-Rin Clan
x. Otaku Xiaochen
x. Otaku

Lion Clan
x. Makime
x. Makime Omoi
x. Akodo Moshi
x. Akodo Kenji

Scorpion Clan
x. Bayushi Norikage
x Haka Soju
x. Haka Tae-soo

Spider Clan
x. Hisomu Goju
x. Reiko Ohta
x. Hisomu Reo
x. Matsu

Stag Clan
x. Otomo Akutou
x. Hantei Genji

Monks
x. Sukuna
x. Nozomi

Nezumi
x.

Others
x. Han-Hei
x. Sugri
x. Ainuri
x. Kaijarisuigyo
x. Kai

[Otomo Akutou]

Otomo Akutou
Stag Clan Hunter

Height: Some
Build: Rangy
Hair: Dark and unkempt
Eyes: Shifty
Age: A well-weathered 20 or so

Maybe you heard about that scoundrel?
Maybe you spent some time in Seppun lands and had a guide along the way?
Maybe you wanted some woodcarving and went to the wrong place?
Maybe you wanted something you oughtn't've?
Maybe one of those are how you met Akutou.
Or maybe you know something of this story?
~~~~~
Lightning surged, a chiaroscuro coruscation through the clouds above, and the seas pitched hungrily about the Hopeful Endeavor. The ship’s boy struggled towards the tiller, where the ship’s captain stared with one eye towards an uncertain horizon.

Much like me at that age, he’d said when he first brought the boy aboard. But many are. Come, then, and join me!

The boy had, of course, and gladly, happy to get away from the dull village of his earliest years, happy to join a famous sailor on his journeys into legend. But then, he hadn’t known yet of the tedium aboard ship, endless watches of the same grinding routines and heavy work punctuated by moments of sheer terror from scything winds and biting rain and decks that rose up again and again to batter a body bloody.

He knew them now.

Another wave swamped the decks, and the boy lost his grip on the railing, swept overboard into churning white teeth ready to gnash upon him.

Flickering lights shone above, fading into the dark.

He woke in a bed that was not moving, not the hammock where he last remembered waking or among the dead as he expected.

The cry of a gull called to him, and he turned his head to look.

Seeing the choppy gray-green water stretching to the limits of sight, he screamed.

Later, away from the water, he skulked through the shadows of the narrow spaces between buildings. Not much use for a boy who can’t go to sea rang in his ears even now, long after, the iron in the captain’s words—no, he had a fancier title, now—piercing as much as that one-eyed stare of his. And nobody else to claim him.

But that was alright. People not paying attention meant it was easier to take what he needed, whether from a pouch left just a little too loose or a basket left unattended, or sometimes with the suggestion that he could do worse things than they’d be willing to do.

And there were always travelers who didn’t know and could be cozened.

That gnarly-knuckled man looked like a likely mark, there, and the boy staggered out of the shadows, tripping a bit, bumping into him. An old trick, of course, but not one people expected from a tatter-clothed boy, and the man didn’t notice when something just fell out of his pocket and into the boy’s hand. Nor did he notice when the boy slipped away.

Or he’d thought that, anyway, until he made his way back to the barrel that served him for sleeping and found the gnarly-knuckled man waiting. His hand was hard on the boy’s shoulder, a grip like oak, as he walked him to the headman’s house and found that, no, he was not a farmer’s son or a fisherman’s, but had crewed where he had and was known to be an Otomo.

Might have use for him, then, the gnarly-knuckled man said.

For the Guide into Hell, an honor, of course was the reply. Or something like it enough that the boy went inland and didn’t return for a long, long time.

Later, he followed the man out into the woods, trying to keep up, but the man was too sneaky, even if he seemed to be a little bit slower every day. Ah, but there’s a bent branch, and there the echo of a footstep, and there, of course, up above, the man waits, looking the wrong way with a stick in his hand. How he started when the boy’s own stick found him, touching his kidney! But he smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair and nodded. It wasn’t often he was told he did well, and he cherished each time.

Later, a visit from one of the Nezumi. A long one. The gnarly-knuckled man had him sit still and listen hard, and he did. For him, anything. And maybe, someday, he could go home. Because this still wasn’t home. Not really.

Later, in the woods again, the gnarly-knuckled man found him again, saying something about someone requesting a shipment of fruit be sent to Blue Lotus. The young man didn’t understand; metaphors never fed the belly. But he knew he was being told to go and to do, and so he has come, and he will have done.

[Nanzi Ai]

Nanzi Ai

Nanzi-Ai-Pic.jpg (185.83 KiB) Viewed 1434 times

Clan: Crane
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Height: 6'2"
Build: Muscular Woman
Hair: White and long, often worn in buns.
Eyes: Beautiful Sea Blue Eyes
Occupation: Bushi Soldier and Duelist Errant
Marital status: Unmarried

Ai is the third daughter of Doji and Nanzi, always drawn to the martial arts she took the name of her father's house and styles herself as her Ananzihime's confidant and right hand woman. She spent the last couple of years traveling the Empire as a wandering warrior and returned to service when the call came for the Day of Thunder.

Before that she aided in the purges of the clan, which earned her no amount of internal enemies due to her ruthless application of her blade for those that fell under Yume-Jigoku's thrall. Now she follow's her Destiny.

Hooks

• Enjoys martial pursuits and likes to keep her body honed and tends to operate on a well trod schedule.
• She plays the shamisen as an artistic pursuit and maintains a journal, daily.
• Enjoys fashion, but often tends to eschew it for functionality but she is no stranger to being dolled up if there is a need.
• She was a troublemaker as a child, but became more serious minded as she matured, though still good natured and enjoys a good laugh.
• Traveled the realm as a ronin, on a wanderer's journey under the name Gray Dove, so some may have met her on her travels.
• Have time to hear about how you can stop Yume-Jigoku? Stay awhile and listen.
• Muscular lady, tall baddie.

Yumenosenshi Jade Mask

Yumenosenshi Mask.jpg (43.29 KiB) Viewed 1434 times

[Hisomu Tadaka]

Age: 22
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Hair: Black
Eyes: Gold
Marital Status: Married with Children

Goju is a recent arrival to the Spider. He joined them about 4 years ago after petitioning the Kami Hisomu himself. He adapted well, picking up the ways of the samurai quickly despite seemingly coming out of nowhere. He quickly became a Seeker of Name and studied the Nezumi Name magic ferociously. Some thought with his dedication he would become the leading expert of Name magic in the Empire.

And then, suddenly, he declared that he was going to be a Seeker of the Sea. Strangely enough, Hisomu’s response to give him a ship which he quickly named, The Jolly Jellyfish. Oddly, while he still studies the mysteries of the ocean, he seems less interested in it than he did Name magic, often acting as a merchant or transport for other Seekers (which they appreciate). He has also began spreading his children tales about Goju the Jellyfish which seems strangely important to him.

Hooks
- Goju is a Spider that has captained a ship for the last year and a half. Maybe you have seen at a port city.

- Goju has been trying to spread his children’s stories. Maybe you have seen a copy.

- Goju used to study Name magic. Maybe you have heard of him before his change of studies.

- Do you like jellyfish? Goju does too!

[Togashi Satsuki]

富樫 咲月

Name: Togashi Satsuki
Clan: Dragon Clan
Age: 22 (Born Year 8)
Occupation: Priestess and adventurer. Princess, and possible heir?
Marital Status: Eligible Bachelorette?
Gender: Female
Height: 5’9”
Build: Lean, sinuous.
Hair: White silver
Eyes: Golden-green
Complextion: Fine
Noteworthy features: Tattoos (a dragon coiling down her right forearm, with its head covering the back of her hand, a crane in flight with its wings spread out over her collarbone)

Standing tall, Satsuki is a striking beauty with otherworldly features. There's a noticeably shine to her eyes, similar to that seen with some of the Kami, and her hair has the sheen of polished fine white silver. There is an agile grace to her figure and her movements, showing her as a clearly physically active person, with some muscle definition. Many would say that Satsuki takes a lot after her mother, Togashi Saruko, at least in appearance by sharing her fine features and pretty face. Many would then also say that she might be more like her father as she seems more introverted and prone to introspection as well as contemplation. And then she usually proves that she is not exactly like her parents by opening up her mouth to give her honest truth, sometimes harshly.

Since attending the Emperor's first Winter Court five years ago, she has cooled down her harshness but not the quickness of her honest deliveries. Her youthful ignorance from then has been replaced with a fierce determination to do everything in her power for her family and the people of the Empire. Despite her sheltered upbringing in the mountains of the Dragon, her keen intellect has now been applied with meeting members of all the clans and all the different people living in the Empire, as well as the Nezumi in the south. All this travelling and exploration alongside her father these past years has not dimmed her curiosity and drive at all, not to mention that her headstrong nature has just intensified.

She was last seen visting the home of Doji with her father, before setting off suddenly on her own journey.

Hooks

• My dad is a Kami and my mother is a hero: You might know them, or have heard of them. My mom helped save Hisomu, and was a major contributor for the wedding ritual that was part of the rescue. And my dad was second only to Shiba in the Kami's tournament, and is a literal god! If you're a fellow godling, we already have so much in common!
  
• Do you like magic? Religion? Spiritual philosophy? Satsuki is super-interested in magic and all the theories on it that exist in the Empire, as well as various topics about all things spiritual and religious.
  
• Do you like music? Satsuki isn't the great artisan like her mother, but she knows a thing or two about singing and dancing or playing instruments.
  
• Do you have glimpses of the future? I do too!

[Anjing]

Name: Anjing
Clan: Crab Clan
Age: Early 50s
Occupation: Daimyo, Warrior, Annoyed
Marital Status: Married to a big guy
Gender: Female
Height: 5’4”
Build: Stocky
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Brown

Older, wiser and certainly a little more bitter, Anjing continues to do everything she can for the protection of her people. While her tribe, now clan, has suffered much over the past decades they still survive and have a chance to grow into their new home, if the corruption can be contained.

Ever since arriving in the north the daimyo has worked tirelessly to keep the Crab motivated, fed and safe. The work has been hard. She's had to use her words to solve problems which is particularly tiring when the answers seem so obvious. Still, the Clan is still alive and most of the old ways remain, although for how long she's not sure.

Hearing the rumours of a festival that might aid in pushing back the corruption, and trusting to her advisors, Anjing has journeyed to Blue Lotus Village. While she has mixed expectations of any aid for her people the situation is too dire to turn down this opportunity. If she has to she'll save the whole Clan herself.

Hooks

Has very strong opinions, particularly on imperials. Sometimes she keeps them to herself.
Anjing is feeling old, stressed and often cranky.
Do you hold to the old ways of life before the Kami fell? She's always interested in that.
Still loves swapping tales of battle.

[Shiba Kumori]

Name: Shiba Kumori
Clan: Imperial
Age: 23
Occupation: Wandering Princess
Marital Status: Single
Gender: Female
Height: 6’0”
Build: Balanced and Healthy
Hair: Black
Eyes: Yes


The youngest daughter of Shiba. She has spent the past 5 years traveling around the country and training with the Kakita. Has a strong sense of self. Does not like being told what to do. Fights hard. Defends people.

She’s generally affable and enjoys drinking and some singing. Come say “Hi” sometime.

(The Princess formerly known as Han-Hei)

Hooks
*Live fast and die hard: Han-hei is an affable and good-natured lass who enjoys general merrymaking and fun. Get a drink. Tell a story. Sing a dirty song. Could be friends with just about anyone.
*I’ve been everywhere and there: Widely traveled and widely interested in each of the clans across the empire. Maybe she’s been to your hometown. Maybe you’ve been to hers… Would be hard to know if you don’t ask her.

[Makime]

Name: Makime
Clan: Lion Clan
Age: Mid-to-Late 40s
Occupation: Daimyo, War Leader, Akodo's Henchwoman
Marital Status: Married with an heir and a spare
Gender: Female
Height: 5’8”
Build: Athletic
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Brown

No longer an enthusiastic girl eager to learn from the fallen children of heaven, Makime has hardened over the years into the calculating head of a proto-feudal household. She has fully adopted the vision of her new lord with all the fervor of the convert. And for the last decades, Makime has spent nearly every waking hour working to ensure the future Akodo and his siblings promised would come to fruition.

Taking a home near the joining of two prominent rivers, Makime's attention has been drawn northward. To a seemingly quiet village, one far, far too close to her slowly growing capital. A village that has been mentioned more and more in rumors surrounding a certain monk who seemed to bring trouble wherever he appears...

Hooks

• Read Leadership? She is a co-author
• A master of battle in its more abstract sense, she is willing to discuss such things. And provide an unapologetic critique
• Do you also see a prosperous future beyond the old superstitions and ways of the past?
• Shiro Makime is just south of the village. Maybe you passed through?

[Jiyo Sora]

Name: Jiyo Sora
Clan: Imperial Families
Age: 46
Occupation: Formerly, companion and bodyguard to Shiba's children, as well as sometime emissary to real pains in the rear. Has spent the last twenty years spearheading the Imperial Libraries, although the past five have also seen him resuming some of his old troubleshooting duties.
Marital Status: Blissfully married to Jiyo Kinyôbi with five children (Shirayuki and Phi, twin daughters, aged 17, Soryu, a son, aged 12, and then Reiko and Kozan, a twin girl and boy, aged 5)
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8"
Build: Muscular and wiry.
Hair: Black, starting to show signs of grey
Eyes: Right eye is an inhuman orange color. Left eye is a normal brown.
Noteworthy features: Apart from the freaky eye, Sora has a fair degree of fame- both for what he has done, and for his status as an Imperial. His armor is covered with bronze-colored characters in beautiful, flawless calligraphy, all of them aliases for people he knows and respects.

Sora was born marked by the touch of the spirits, and in any sane or rational set of circumstances would probably have taken up magic. His parents, however, had different ideas, and their odd, marked son became another warrior for the Hikaru Tribe. He was quite good at it, and his skill at arms marked his only significant contribution to the tribe's well-being.

As the Hikaru were an asocial bunch, with the curt nature and tendency toward snap judgments bred by their harsh environment in the Spine of the World. Sora was a weird one even among their number, and he remains unpolished in social contexts, although the trust and acceptance he eventually found within the Imperial Families has mellowed him somewhat. He was incredibly hostile toward the futures many of the Kami would have brought to what has become Rokugan had they taken the throne, and his early disoutes mean he's a member of a certain organization. With that said, he has embraced Shiba's leadership, and having spent the last twenty-five years serving the Emperor devotedly, he is a fixture of the Imperial Court.

Formerly a man constrained by his circumstances and desperately thrashing against the bars of his cage to find some higher calling, Sora is much more fulfilled these days, with the Libraries being his proudest work, and his family being the greatest joy of his life.

His oracular eye still gives him the odd difficulty, of course, and he remains keenly interested in the Spirit Realms-an interest somewhat enhanced by his experiences- he was in the rescue party of five that retrieved Hisomu from Jigoku itself, he was present when Hadananzi was unmasked at the Imperial Winter Court, and the problem of Yume-Jigoku has occupied his mind.

Sora is one who Shinsei personally sought out to come here. He's pretty sure this is going to be exactly as easy as the last job Shinsei had for him, and he has absolutely no idea what he's expected to do. Well aware of the prophecy of the Thunders, he is enough of a disbeliever in Destiny to find the whole concept a bit loopy. Besides which, he knows damned well he isn't going to be a Thunder, so what he's doing here at all is somewhat mysterious to him.

Hooks

• I've Been To Your Hometown As patron of the Imperial Libraries, Sora has been all over the Empire, visiting the lands of each Clan in turn to set up branches, and he is undeniably one of the best-traveled people in Rokugan. He also knows a truly blistering array of people of importance, having met every single living Kami (Ryoshun lucked out!), and having at least a passing knowledge of every daimyo.
  
  
• I Am Legend He is something of a hero, at least officially, a status he finds burdensome. He also knows other heroes. Besides knowing the Kami and the daimyo (many of them from the Tournament of the Kami itself), he also knows the likes of Seppun Dawei, Old Man Yamadono, White Moonrise of the Nezumi, Doji Dojihime, Shinjo Koyama, Jiyo Ayumu, Wu, and others.
  
  
• I Definitely Play Favorites His best friends of his own generation tend to be Imperials, Dragon, Spider, Ki-Rin, and members of the Brotherhood of Shinsei, and those remain the broad groups he is most comfortable with. Meanwhile, his relations with Crab, Crane, Lion, and Stag samurai tend to be on a case by case basis with some initial coolness to be overcome- although he's more favorably disposed toward the younger generation, born into those clans, than he is of people who chose to join them in the earliest days of the Empire.
  
  
• My Family is Awesome His daughter Shirayuki is a monk by training, blissfully engaged to Saru Taiyo, the heir to the Saru daimyo. His daughter Phi helped codify what the Imperial Loremasters would do and be, and maintains a network of correspondents around the Empire- at present, she's visiting the Spider Clan. His son Soryu is an Ishiken, currently staying with the Nezumi and studying the lore in their libraries and memories. The youngest kids, Reiko and Kozan, are a rambunctious handful at present, but if you visited the Imperial Palace you might have run across them. His wife, Kinyôbi, is a scribe and scholar without peer (because she's actually an incarnation of Fukurokujin, although Sora has no idea). If you know them, feel free to say so!
  
  
• Know anything about the spirit realms? Please. Tell the man with the orange eye what you know.
  
  
• I have an oracular eye But it's not something he has much control over, and the futures it shows him are often unpleasant. However, nor are they set in stone- a major part of Sora's disbelief in Destiny is the sheer number of futures he has seen changed, avoided, or eliminated over the course of his life.
  
  
• Rhymes with "Goal Rat" Sora's the head of the WIllow Sect of what isn't called and doesn't really act much like the kolat in canon L5R. But it exists, and if you're in it, he probably knows about you.
  
  
• Reading is Fundamental Sora is a passionate advocate for literacy, having only learned to read and write in his 20s. The sheer magnitude of positive change it has brought into his life makes him pretty interested in spreading the joy.

[Otaku Xiaochen]

Name: Otaku Xiaochen
Clan: Ki-rin
Age: 27
Occupation: Warrior and Huntsperson
Marital Status: Married with 2 children
Gender: Female
Height: 5'7
Build: Wiry
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown


Otaku Xiaochen was born on the day of the Heavenly Tournament to a hunting and gathering tribe whose territory straddled what is now northwestern the Rokugani border. Gathered in by Shinjo's people in the early 10's, Xiaochen has always understood her identity to be tied to that of the Empire--they share a birthday, they share a destiny. She has thrown herself into imperial culture with the zeal of the converted, and though she remains every inch the steppe-running horse-mounted hunter, she has carried herself since her adolescence as a Rokugani lady, as worthy of the title as any high-born Crane or Stag. If she has not had the opportunity to put her personal mythology to the test, it is simply because her duties are what they are.

When Otaku began to form her family, Xiaochen, unattached, dedicated to Bushido, and fiercely capable, was an ideal choice to ride at her side. She is a mother of two very small children. Her husband, Haoran, is also a warrior. But it was she who was called to this strange gathering, and it will be she, she imagines, who will deliver the Empire from its demons.

[Doji Hikaru]

Name: Doji Hikaru
Clan: Crane
Age: Mid-twenties
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Build: Lean, but fit
Hair: Black, with a single streak of white. And well-kept
Eyes: Pale Brown
Occupation: Doji's Honor Guard

Doji Hikaru is a handsome young man with a clean, elegant appearance. He is fit, and takes good care of both himself and his things; after all, both reflect on his Lady. His clothing marks him as one of the new samurai class if his sword hadn't already. His long black hair has a single streak of white; fortunately, it favors his looks well enough to look like a sign of favor from the gods, rather than an ill-omen. As of late, the circles around his eyes have gotten just a touch more dark, as the weight of this supernatural war takes a toll on him, and those that he cares for.

Dedication is the best single word to describe Hikaru, whether that is to his duty, his training, the skills he practices, or anything he might put his mind to. He is a perfectionist, always taking an extra moment to put the finishing touches on a sword strike, a composed poem, or the last few notes in a song. He speaks quietly, formally, and seriously.

It was twenty-four years ago that Doji's retinue, traveling, encountered a baby, the only survivor of a deadly fire. The other villagers didn't know his name. Doji ordered him brought to her household, where he was raised by one of her handmaidens. She saw that he received an education in all the proper arts, and gave him his name, Hikaru.

When Lady Doji first fell ill, Hikaru spent several years desperately searching for a cure. Now, he has taken all of that energy and drive, and is expending it towards defeating the forces of Yume-Jigoku. Maybe they achieve victory in time to save Lady Doji...

HOOKS (and themes, apparently)
*Hikaru is interested in ALL of the arts of the samurai, even as those are being defined. Painting, knowledge of Bushido, and the flute are some of his favorites. He would like to discuss them, but there's been such little time, what with the existential threats and all...
*Do you need assistance? Is your cause just? Hikaru will assist you.
*What is duty? What do samurai, as we apparently are, owe to our lords? To the Kami? To ourselves? Hikaru could probably use a bit more balance in this area.
*What are heroes? Hikaru is familiar with many of them, and strives to be like them. Is the time of heroes over, or just beginning?

[Wu Zhe]

Wu Zhe
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6"
Build: Sturdy
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Marital Status: Single

Wu Zhe was not born into the Wu but as the son of a tribal chief who had their lands taken by another clan and where nearly forced to move outside of Rokugan before the Wu offered them hospitality. Not wanting to go further north and risk losing more of their people during the journey, the offer was accepted. It took a couple of year for what was remaining of the tribe to acclimate to their new condition but the Wu proved patient and let them settle at their own pace. This show of respect and trust ended up working well with the tribe's people and soon they incorporated well enough with the rest of villages the dragon family watched over.

Zhe was young when his people were forced out of their ancestral homes but he remembers the hardship of the journey and will not forget the second chance his people were offered. While he's trained in the Wu school, Zhe is still functionally a cattle rancher and a dairy farmer. In an effort to repay the Wu he began trying to learn the various peasant ways the people of the Wu in an effort to unite the various methods of farming and raising cattle.

This required a lot of travel and conciliation but the efforts began to bear fruit. These efforts were also recognized by the Wu who believed the young man might make a good diplomat. While the young man did grow some of the skills required, the more refined aspects still escaped him and the expulsion of his tribe from their former lands might incur suspicion amongst those with a less forgiving view.

After the Winter court

''We move at the speed of seasons but they move at the speed of ambition''

That sentence was his general view of the politics of the nascent empire. He enjoyed his stay well enough but many aspects of politics was found to be jarring. He ended up convinced that the people and the old traditions would need more active advocates in the future for he doubted the hardliners would let go of the strict hierarchy they envisioned.

The rest of the five years since then had been spent undertaking an agrarian reform to promote and harmonize the various farming techniques and the food they could produce for the varied regions of the empire. Though made difficult by the nightmare plague the reforms began to take root. Being the center of them, the Wu's food production increased significantly and the use of cattle allowed them to export their gains to those who needed it most.

Also: Shu the Red Panda

[Sukuna]

Name: Sukuna
Clan: None, Monk
Age: 25
Height: 5’7”
Build: Lean, but strong from travel
Hair: Red
Eyes: Jade green

If there’s anything to say about the monk Sukuna’s appearance it would be her rather colorful hair and eyes. If mentioned, she shrugs it off. Other than that, she is taller than average and definitely well-traveled.

She does not speak of her home village. In fact, it is rare for her to speak of her life prior to joining the Brotherhood. She prefers to speak of the present and future.

Hooks
•Like cooking? Sukuna is looking to expand her recipe list.
•Want any advice? Sukuna may not be old, but she’s willing to give advice a shot.
•Meditating? Sukuna is more than willing to join or be joined.

[Bayushi Norikage]

Bayushi Norikage

Age: early 20s
Gender: male
Height: not outlandish
Build: trained
Hair: black
eyes: brown
Clan: Scorpion

Norikage, when his face is seen without a mask, can be identified as a descendant of the Hikaru tribe, and possibly from the more handsome branch of that tree. Though he has a lot of their manner that seems unimpressed with the rest of the world, it has absolutely been tempered by an upbringing among the followers of Bayushi. Unnecessarily cynical and prone to eye rolling, everything seems like a pain that's been personally wrought upon him and no one else.

Not many people have seen Norikage take a situation seriously, likely because he simply doesn't. And now he's wandering toward some village in the mountains, something about monk. Yeah, corruption is bad, we know.

Stupid Jigoku.


Hooks?
Are you bad at board games?
Are you Hikaru tribe, or were your parents?
Have you also been asked to do something very annoying?

[Ryoshun Huan]

Name: Ryoshun Huan
Clan: Bat
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Build: Wiry
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: Mystic Warrior

Huan looks like a young warrior, which makes a certain amount of sense since he's been trained thoroughly with the sword despite being a shugenja. He has a calm and sometimes otherworldly demeanor that results from his nature as an Ishiken, but there is also chaos bubbling just beneath the surface that his several teachers seem unable to train out of him. His emotions are not difficult to pick out to a trained eye, but it generally does need to be trained because he's been taught how to effectively maintain his On. He is well spoken, but with a slightly tribal accent that's been worked out of him during his time in the capital.

It's not widespread knowledge outside of the Bat or the Order of Heroes, and people in frequent contact with either, but Huan is the reincarnated soul of Taochusu. This was confirmed by a monk of the order thanks to a vision sent by Ryoshun-kami, and is known by most leaders in the empire. The general expectation at large is not particularly high or noteworthy, but from those who train him and give him his orders, those expectations are amplified significantly. This can be seen in the way he carries himself, like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Hooks
*The soul of Taochusu... what does that even mean?
*This is Huan's first solo mission, having been called upon by Shinsei. Some very important people have their eyes on him to see how he performs.
*Do you have an issue with ghosts or strange spirits? Perhaps a Ryoshun Spirit Guide could help.
*Huan is not a dedicated warrior, but he carries his katana with confidence and willingness to put it to use.

[Sugri]

Origin: Invinda
Caste: Brahmin
Occupation: Guru
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Height: 6'
Build: Well built athletic
Hair: Black, worn long and usually loose
Eyes: Dark brown
Marital status: Unmarried

Although his travels have taken him through Rokugan for a few years Sugri is still very obviously an outsider even compared to some of the more isolated tribes of the newly formed Empire. His Rokugani is fluent, if accented, but his grasp of cultural complexities and traditions is still rather tenuous though backed with sincerity and attempted respect.

A lifetime of ascetic physical training followed by years of travel through the lands of the Nezumi and Rokugani have given him an impressive physique and a rugged appearance. He would like to claim ruggedly handsome but such things are, of course, subjective. His black hair is worn long and loose and seems windswept even on the calmest of days. He keeps his chin clean shaven but has chosen to keep an impressive mustache especially by Rokugani standards.

He travels light carrying little other than his bow, an impressive composite of dark wood and intricately carved ivory inlay yellowed by great age, and the clothes on his back.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Name: Yoshitsune Ayako
Clan: Crab
Age: 15
Occupation: Bushi
Marital Status: Single
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 2”
Build: Stocky
Hair: Black, straight
Eyes: Dark

Yoshitsune Ayako is a somewhat short and stocky young woman, a member of the first generation born after the Seidou were absorbed into the Crab Clan. Her skin is darkened from spending a lot of time outside, and her hair is gathered up into a simple topknot. A student of Yoshitsune’s school, she wears the daisho, but a wickedly sharp axe appears to be her preferred weapon.

Hooks:

• Ayako practices with her weapons a lot; she thinks she needs it. Perhaps you would help.
• Ayako is a little superstitious and still prays and makes offerings to nature spirits of the earth and such. Perhaps you’re into that sort of thing; or perhaps you think it is foolishly old-fashioned.
• The well-informed might have heard that Ayako is the younger sister of Yoshitsune Chizu, who went missing two years ago. Perhaps you knew Chizu.
• At night, Ayako can sometimes be heard to play mournful tunes on the biwa…but not very well. Perhaps you are a music critic.

[Reiko Ohta]

Name: Reiko Ohta
Clan: Spider
Occupation: Scout?
Age: 20 (born Year 10)
Gender: Female
Marital Status: unwed
Height: 5'0" (1.52m)
Build: Wiry, thin and strong
Hair: Black, shoulder blade length, usually made up
Eyes: Grey
Complexion: Pale, sickly
Noteworthy Features: Thin, small, round-faced
Noteworthy Habits: Walks a bit bow-legged, often doesn't look at whom she's talking to, quiet

Only daughter of one Shinjo mother and one Reiko mother (her donor parent generally unknown), Ohta has always been a slightly sickly, small, quiet girl who kept to herself. Not so sickly or small that she couldn't make a proper bushi for the Spider; No, she found her own niche. But enough so that many wonder if she wouldn't be better off in a court than the battlefield.

Those who think such things underestimate Ohta. Intelligent and quick witted, she showed her skills with many things, in particular the horse and bow. Additionally, her knowledge and wits have made her somewhat of a "problem solver" for the Spider, knowing a decent amount about many things, and seemingly having a solution to almost any problem.

These latest problems might be beyond her though. Not having the knowledge and ability with prayers of her Reiko mother, Reiko Subaru, Ohta nevertheless has enough knowledge of the spiritual to feel like the recent madness and troubles may lay more in that direction than something mundane. Regardless, her lords in the Spider know one thing; Reiko Ohta is not the sort of person to let a mystery elude her once she puts her mind to it.

So it is that she has been studying the Madness the past few years, dealing with those affected and those who are victims alike. Though she's not made any definite progress, she feels on the verge of a breakthrough. This gathering, led by Shinsei no less, feels like destiny to her, the final push to see her theories turn into something definite.

As always, she will find the answers she seeks, no matter what.

[Ryoshun Nao]

Name: Ryoshun Nao
Gender: Female
Clan: Bat
Age: 15 Winters
Height: 5' 1"
Build: Small
Marital Status: Eww....
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown

Nao is the third-born and youngest of Ryoshun's children. Unlike her older sister and brother, she does not possesses the physical stature common to those of Kami blood. She is clearly disappointed by this, not pleased to literally be standing in her sibling's shadows. Most assure her that this is simply a matter of age. She still has time to grow, after all. The precocious young woman, however, takes little comfort in that. She may be young, but she is not a child.

Her small frustrations aside, Nao is a likeable, outgoing and sociable girl, eager to explore the Empire and meet its people. She yearns to see and learn about new places and seeks out new experiences. She possesses some of Agasha's curiosity along with her compulsion to write about whatever she discovers. Unlike her sister and mentor, however, her notes are not detailed and analytical. Nao's journal is not that of a scholar. She's a storyteller. She takes the truth of shat she sees and adds a little color here and there, to make it more palatable. To make it more memorable.

That's why she and her porcine companion, San, have followed the rumors of a gathering at Blue Lotus Village. That's how the epic tales of legendary heroes begin. Those are her favorite stories.

● Nao was trained by her sister Agasha and is knowledgeable regarding the elements
● She also possesses her mother''s ability to visit other Realms and has learned a few things
● She dislikes stressful situations and would prefer to relax in peaceful places
● She is a storyteller and hopes to gather more stories of the Empire
● She has a pig.

[Kaiu Tai]

Name: Kaiu Tai
Clan/Tribe: Crab/Seidou
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2"
Build: Stocky
Hair: Black shot with grey
Eyes: Dark brown with dark swirls marking the whites.
Features of Interest: Teeth and nails are charcoal black, cheeks, brow and arms scarred with old and new marks, some tinted in earthen red, blue, or yellow
Occupation: Potter, mason, and priest
Marital status: Married

Description:

Blunt as a river stone, but nowhere near as pleasing to the eye, everything about the stocky woman speaks of her ties to the earth. Dark skin may owe something to the sun's fire, but even normally pale eyes, nails, and teeth are tinted in shades her tribe mates in the mines would have found familiar. She hasn’t changed much from those years stomping about the Seidou hills. Age creases her face, twisting around the scars there and gray streaks her hair, but the core of her remains much the same. Like her beloved mountains, changes come slowly.

Her scars are many. The older ones pale against darker skin, come in all different shapes. Newer ones are straight, sliced in rows down arms and cheeks, and one across the brow. These are darker in shades of red or blue, gold, or grey, picking up tints from the clay-containing salves pressed into them.

The bear hide cloak she travels with is long and no doubt doubles as a warm blanket, given the twigs and gravel caught here and there in the fur. Her spear is taller than she is, makes a nice walking staff, and has a well-worked stone tip. Share a meal, and you'll see that her knife is stone as well, dark with red and white creating a pleasing 'grain' that is possibly the most attractive thing you'll lay eyes on in her personal space.

Still, she's quick with that dark grin, and speaks plain and easy around a shared fire. And for all the roughness about her, those weapons are sharper than any wit and finely made. The worn leather of her cloak and satchel is well-cared for, the stitches sturdy and placed straight where needed, and even in pleasingly decorative curves across the surface of the latter. She doesn't hold much, but what there is has been well-made and even shows a bit of art beyond the pragmatic.