Author Topic: Path of the Seiken Seija  (Read 1229 times)

basedSHARK

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Path of the Seiken Seija
« on: June 08, 2018, 07:27:08 AM »
Character Name: Ryuko Shiroyama
Origin: Ravenloft - Rokushima Taiyoo
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good
Class: Cleric
Age: 20
Religion: The Pantheon of Kami, with focus on Watatsumi
Hair Colour: Light Blonde (Explained below.)
Eye Colour: Azure Blue

Biography:
Ryuko is the undesired offspring of a sailor of unknown origin, and her estranged mother, a maiko (Geisha apprentice). She knew close to nothing of her biological parents, having been very quickly abandoned at a shrine on the coast of a small seaport. She was taken in by a fisherman and his wife, whom had no children of their own. She was raised well enough, among those who loved her, but she was always seen as an oddity and bullied  for her strange hair and eyes. As a child, she had taken to accompanying her father on his fishing expeditions out into the vast open sea, and the day was like any other, however there had been something in the mist and the waves that caught Ryuko's curious eyes. With a sudden jerk, the young girl found herself in deep, endless ocean, sinking ever further into the abyss. But she wasn't afraid. In the deep blue, she witnessed a great leviathan of tremendous size. Ryuko was in awe.. Until she remembered she had to breathe. She struggled, taking ever more water into her lungs. The last thing she witnessed before her life ebbed away was the Leviathan.

Ryuko awakened days later, in the company of her family. There was much tears shed, though the young girl didn't understand why. Life for the young Rokuma had changed from that day on. The young girl started noticing even more oddities than before, strange sprites that played amongst the trees, or would sit at the Kami-dana in her home. Ryuko had told others what she saw, down in the abyss, and everything that came after. The local priests were awed, and some, perturbed. The great Kami, O-Wata-Tsu-Mi made himself known, to a mere child?

She was taken in by the priests, and taught to be a Miko. The shrine she was assigned to care for belonged to  non-other than the Dragon God.

Many more years passed for her, now a young woman. She had tended to the shrine for much of her adolescence. Her duties were all she knew, until one day, the head priest paid her a visit at her shrine, in the company of a woman with a katana at the hip. The eccentric woman introduced herself as a kensei, a sword-saint. A holy warrior, on an unending quest to purge the land of evil spirits and lend aid to those in need. The Kensei knew about Ryuko's special talent, her ability to see the things that no mortal should have been able to perceive. She explained to the Miko that when she fell into the sea on that mist-covered day, she was bound for Yomi, the land of the dead. But the Kami, with their unknowable machinations, denied her Izanami's embrace.

Yes, Ryuko died that day. But it was also the day that she truly began to live.

The Kensei, a brash and unyielding woman, enlisted the fair headed young woman as her apprentice, and they would spend the next precious few years together, with the young Miko providing assistance and healing to the holy warrior, who in turn taught Ryuko not only the way of the blade, but also the role of a sword-saint, the divine blade of the Kami, and the vanquisher of evil Yokai.

Unfortunately, their journey would come to an abrupt end. Having been hired by the head priest of a village engulfed in fog, the two of them were to cleanse a desecrated shrine and it's surrounding areas from the multitude of demons that had taken residence. Their quest was a challenging one. With every yokai slain, it appeared more would appear from the depths of the temple. The two had come to understand the entire temple and its surrounding graveyards had become a haven for yokai, after the village had seen several lean months followed by a crippling winter. The fog was stifling now, and the Kensei realized too late that it was going to choke the lives out of them. The duo were overwhelmed, with Ryuko cut off from her master, with naught but fog between them and the sounds of combat. Try as she might to find her, Ryuko kept getting turned around within the mist. The with every step she took, the sounds of battle dimmed, even if she tried to orient herself towards it.

She walked for what felt like days. All she had for company were the seemingly endless mists, and the soft, damp grass beneath her feet. She could see things, shadows passing by, just obfuscated enough by the fog that she couldn't identify them. She kept walking. Thoughts of her master were always at the forefront of her mind. She was desperate to reunite with her. She felt like she had failed her, when she got seperated in the melee. If only she was a better fighter. Ryuko clenched her teeth and gripped the laquered scabbard of her katana tightly. She kept walking. She thought about her life up to that point. She knew she was unwanted as a child, unloved by her biological family. But she couldn't even picture what her parents looked like. She grew up in the loving home of two strangers whom raised her as their own flesh and blood. For that she would always be grateful to them, though now she wondered if she would ever see them again, in this dreadful fog. She kept walking. She thought about her fateful meeting with the leviathan. Why did the Dragon God choose her? What role did she have in his plans? Better yet, why was she still alive? It seemed like the fog began to thin, step by step. Was she chosen to fulfill some sort of role of the Kami? Was that why her Master came to her? Her vision began to stretch further. She could make out.. trees. Tombstones, but not of the same make as those in Rokushima. Etched in the stone were letters that were alien to her.

Thus begins the first steps of Ryuko Shiroyama, into a world she knows next to nothing about.



Ryuko - Wandering/Lost Child
Shiroyama - White Mountain

basedSHARK

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Re: Path of the Seiken Seija
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2018, 04:43:05 AM »
Ryuko's first week, in the alien land.

[The following is penned in traditional Rokuma script.]

Pain. Bloodshed. This land appears to be suffering, gravely. On the first day I find myself at a strange field of stone, with what I can only surmise are graves. Next to it was a giant temple. It was decrepit and ancient, made of stone unlike those in Rokushima. Within were a dozen armed men and women, speaking in a tongue I did not understand. The Caretakers of this temple are followers of a 'Morninglord'. I have come to understand that it is similar to Amaterasu-omikami, but I have some doubts. Beneath the temple is a vast series of catacombs, known as the Crypt. The darkness is infested with the dwellers of Yomi. Corpses, once again on two feet, wearing the armour and wielding whatever weapons they were buried with. They are bolstered by ranks of skeletons. The air in the catacombs is thick with Yoki. I know not if at the bottom of the abyss lies the source, but as it stands, I am.. Weak..

I followed the group of warriors below. There were two Samurai among them. They looked and fought exactly as the Samurai of Rokushima did, but they were not my countrymen. They came from another world. They were taken from another world, by this Mist. We were beset by dozens of the Yomi-dwellers. They were very strong, and it was only with the aid of the Kami, and the blessings of others provided by some of the other warriors that we survived. Perhaps it is the fact that I have been displaced, so far away from my homeland, but the blessings of Amaterasu-omikami have done nothing against the Dwellers. Or perhaps.. I have not proven myself to Amaterasu-sama.. However, my prayers to O-Wata-Tsu-Mi have thankfully granted me a number of boons to assist myself and allies, such as a blade blessing to allow me to cut through the thick, rotted hide of Warrior Dwellers beneath. Every day that passes, I face new trials, but also new triumphs. I have made a number of allies, or even friends here. A fellow Rokuma, Sabishi-san. She said she serves a Daimyo back in Rokushima, and had come to Barovia on her own volition, to continue her training. I am envious of her strength of will and courage to undertake such a task, all alone. I offered to help her in her task. Perhaps I can learn to attain such courage from her as well. I have also become acquaintances with the two Samurai from before. They hail from a land called Kozakura, which, after learning about it, sounds very similar in culture to Rokushima. Even our tongue is similar, and with effort, we can understand each other, however the dialect will take some getting used to. I have been forced to learn how to understand and speak the local common tongue. It is difficult and frustrating to try and put my thoughts into words of a foreign tongue, but it is another part of the trial I must face. I can feel myself getting better, but sometimes I am still misunderstood. I met a strange woman, dressed in furs. She introduced herself to me as Katoya ((Katja)) but I know very little about her, as she is quite mysterious. She also smells of mud, and wet animal.

Today, I met with a woman who called herself Jyadisu ((Jadis)). It looked like life had been very unkind to her. She appeared to be blind in one eye, and had a pronounced limp and struggled walking. But in spite of this, she still sought to descend into the Crypt to aid others.. I feel like she is a good person, and deserving of companionship. She was also accompanied by a man named Grissu ((Grizzle)), a warrior. He appears to be very skilled and capable in a fight, and wields a hammer which destroys the skeleton dwellers easily. Together, we, along with other warriors and healers, swept through the first floor of the Crypt. Today it did not seem quite as difficult. Perhaps we were lucky, or we had the right composition of warriors and healers that we could handle most of the Dwellers. I am shamed to admit that I fell a number of times, when my blessings had worn off, but fortunately I had allies around me to keep me from descending into Yomi. Maybe it was overconfidence that drove us into descending to the second floor. There, within a room lurked a lone skeleton warrior armed with a massive rusted sword of no make I have ever seen. It cleaved through 3 of our warriors, and I had to engage it.. I was the last line of defense for the healers behind us. I was cut down before I even saw what happened. I know not how much time passed, with me laying on the ground of that musty crypt bleeding out. I could hear muffled movements, speech.. And then I regained consciousness.  The Skeletal warrior was still pursuing the others with dogged determination, and with substantial effort we managed to destroy it.. However as we spent more time in the first room of the second floor, we were ambushed by yet  more of these warriors. We made a hasty retreat after that.

Later that day, I was visited by what I could only describe as a gift from Izanagi-no-Okami. Fuse-Ushi, the mighty bull spirit lending me his strength. This must be a sign that I am on the right path. Perhaps, as I grow stronger, and prove myself more to the Kami, I may yet be allowed to return to Rokushima, and find my Master.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2018, 05:30:15 AM by basedSHARK »

basedSHARK

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Re: Path of the Seiken Seija
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2018, 05:03:06 AM »
Slow Strides

A number of days have passed since the last writing. I can feel myself growing stronger, but only just. This realm is quick to recognize and punish overconfidence and hubris. We learned that the hard way. We had decided to re-attempt descending the Crypt once more. There were a good number of warriors, as well as a few skilled healers armed with the blessings of their own Kami, and healing draughts provided by the church upstairs. Teshin-san, Grissu, and a number of big warriors armed with mighty shields acted as the front line, and I dealt damage with my blade when there was an opening. It went well, for the most part. If the front-line held, even the deadly Blade Skeleton Dwellers could be entangled and picked apart, but occasionally a healer would get too close, drawing their attention away from the shields. The door funneling tactics were working, and we were making good progress down into the abyss. We should have stopped at the end of the third floor. But I fear that overconfidence from our victories clouded the judgements of some.

On the fourth floor we encountered a big pit, filled with sand, a set of metal bars and a number of those Blade Dwellers. The bars were a trap, it seemed like. A couple of our front line got seperated from us and were locked with the Dwellers and were eliminated. Then the bars came down once more and the Dwellers came after the rest of us. I had received a number of blessings, my body felt light and agile, like I could dodge any of their blades with ease, and I had Fuse-Ushi with me, bolstering my strength and resolve. But, again, the realm always has tricks up its sleeve. The Dwellers, somehow kept finding a key flaw in my defense, and worked together to capitalize on it. Again and again, for every four attacks I parried or dodged, another would slip in as I recovered, striking a telling blow.

Teshin-san, like a true Samurai he is, returned to assist me, but we were not enough. I know not why, but the rest of the warriors we had had scattered and fled, leaving us to fend for ourselves. We were unsurprisingly incapacitated. A number of us perished, and I had somehow managed to stem the blood loss, but all I could do at that point was feign death. I could hear a number of our forces in a similar situation. I could only wait, and pray that the Dwellers would move off. After what felt like hours, I could sense our comrades. A few of them had blessings, or.. Perhaps some form of Omnyo magic? They could take the form of Yurei, and walk invisibly. Not long afterwards, a small group of reinforcements arrived.. But there was the problem with the Dwellers, again. They kept incapacitating our fighters, until. Something happened, i'm not exactly sure what. I think one of the Big Statured fighters managed to lure the Dwellers away from all our bodies, long enough for us to pick ourselves up and perform some minor healing and escape. Grissu, and Jyadis had fallen. I could do nothing to help them, once again. Perhaps, with time, Amaterasu-omikami may lend me her power to..  No.. That is too much of a selfish request.

Haaah~... I have thus far been fortunate to avoid such fates as those who regularly prowl the crypts. Even my Master said I tended to err on the side of caution. But in such a place as this, where I see with my own eyes the number of corpses piling up in the back of the church.. Is it so wrong to be cautious?  In the face of all the other adventurers I have met, who hail from distant worlds.. I must seem like a coward.

----

Today, I met with Jyadis and someone who called themselves a Kuruseda. She wore very odd armour, and wielded a mighty weapon much like a Naginata, but with an axe blade instead of a Ken. We initially went to slay giant insects, but the den had been cleared. We met a strange, short and round man, armed with an axe and a giant shield. We invited him to join us and we walked to a shaded wood a few hours away. We first made a stop at a strange woman's underground home, and she gave us a very potent blessing to guard our spirits. Just as we left her hut, we were suddenly ambushed by a pack of massive black wolves. I know not where they came from, or why they suddenly attacked us, but I can only surmise they were tracking us for awhile now. We slew one, and severely wounded the rest, who fled. I said a prayer for the dead wolf and hope it's spirit found its peace, and thanked it for it's offerings. I learned how to skin an animal from Grissu before, and I put it to use.. Not a terrible job, but I cannot help but feel sick. The Bistani man, Peta would pay well for it. It was filled with a fog, obscuring our vision, and infested with what appeared to be Onryo. They were difficult to spot in the mist, but when they engaged us I came to realize parts of my Master's tutelage coming back to me. In her line of work, banishing Onryo and Yurei were fairly common activities, and this was hardly different. The difficult part is to strike at them in order to dissipate their condensed Yoki. Such a feat is difficult with your mortal eyes. Instead, one must gaze with the Mind's Eye. The Priests in Rokushima, as well as the many monks that reside back home are all adept at viewing the world with their Mind's Eye, and this allows them to peer into the veil of the Yokai.

I learned that these Onryo here, in Barovia, are no different. Through the Mind's Eye, their phantasmal form takes shape into a humanoid, physical one. And with a physical body, they are easy to dispatch. We spent the next couple of hours walking through the shaded woods, purging the Onryo that made themselves known to us. We found a cave, and were attacked by weak Skeletal Dwellers, but even deeper was a locked door, and behind it, a number of stronger Dwellers, including one of their Yoki-priests.

We returned back to the temple before nightfall.

---

That evening a strange man entered the church. Some of the other adventurers were panicked, screaming 'weer woruf'. I have heard the phrase used multiple times before in my stay here.. I believe I saw one with my own eyes, being slain. They are Yokai, like I had expected, but specifically they are Bakemono. Shapeshifters. To think that one of them could brazenly walk into the church.. Does that mean that they are unaffected by whatever sacred magics keep this place safe?

Could there be Bakemono with us, right now? Scary..

---

Today, I explored some of the city next to the church. The city smells awful, and is wet and dreary. The guards all stare, and some civilians too. But! I found something! A strange curio shop, run by a fellow countryman! He did not seem to like me much, did not believe I was Rokuma like him.. It must have been my appearance. It was the same back in Rokushima. Even back home, I am treated like an outsider. The shopkeeper had a wide selection of Rokuman weapons, from katana and uchigatana, to nagamaki and even a nodachi. I am still sorely lacking in funds, otherwise I would have purchased something... But I did buy a traditional Rokushima kimono!

---

basedSHARK

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Re: Path of the Seiken Seija
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2018, 03:35:38 AM »

Yokai Notes: Entry 1 - Bakemono - Ōkami Otoko


Quote
The Bakemono Okami, or Ōkami otoko (lit. wolf man) is one of the most dangerous and common threats that stalk the lands of Barovia at night. These Yokai take the form of Ōkami (wolves) in the wilds, but it seems can also masquerade as people. The term 'Bakemono' is usually used to describe Shape-shifters, creatures that have become Yokai and can take a humanoid form. Some stories suggests that only certain cunning animals who have gained enough experience or intelligence learn how to become Yokai, and shape-shift. These include Foxes, Cats, and Tanuki. However, unlike the Bakemono of Rokushima, who are at times simple tricksters or induce bad dreams, these Ōkami otoko are horrifically violent and bloodthirsty.

They attack with vicious claws that can tear through iron armour easily. Its bite can be devastating as well.

Known weaknesses: Weapons blessed with Kami magic. Weapons made of silver. They are extremely resilient to steel and iron. They can even shrug off a blow that would have slain a mortal without flinching. But when struck with weapons that have been enchanted with divine power, or made with silver, they become vulnerable like any other beast. I have also heard that Belladonna is effective when combating these Yokai, but I have not had first-hand experience with it's properties.

Ōkami otoko, like the beasts they share an aspect with, mostly hunt in packs. It is rare to find a solitary beast, and extreme caution must be taken when engaging one alone, as there may be more awaiting for the right moment to strike in ambush. In combat, they attack with furious strikes and pursue their prey almost relentlessly. Should you give them an opening, they are cunning enough to capitalize it, seemingly on instinct. When given the chance they may prioritize what they deem to be weaker prey in a hunting party, so hunters must be skilled at keeping them tied up with defensive strategies while other warriors land the killing blow.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2018, 03:54:29 AM by basedSHARK »

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Re: Path of the Seiken Seija
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2018, 02:22:59 AM »
Weakness.

Many days have passed since the last writing. I have made new friends, but also lost a handful. I followed Felix and his rude shaman ally to Raduta Keep, first we purged the Zeklos crypt without much issue. However, we decided to explore the main Keep, and that is where everything went wrong. Stepping into the keep I was immediately assaulted. The entire building was swarming with enraged Kami and Onryo. They were roiling and raging, taking the form of a pair of walking suits of ghostly armour. My senses were overwhelmed by the initial steps in, and I had expected the other two to stay close to the entrance, but they advanced to engage the spirits. I did not assist. I was gripped with fear, of the unknown-- I had never seen the Onryo take the form of armour like that before. But the entire Keep felt hostile to me. I needed to get out.

Obviously, the others were enraged by my hesitance to fight. I was frustrated by the foolhardy nature of the warriors in this land.

We later learned by a head-priestess of the church of Ezra, across the courtyard from the Keep that this was the place of a massacre. The keep's inhabitants were.. I hesitate to call them Yokai, but I do not know any other term for it. They were drinkers of blood, shapeshifters, and a third I had never heard of. I believe she referred to them as 'stealers of breath'. If the Keep had been massacred, it would explain why it's so full of spirits, enraged and unable to move on. Perhaps, when I am stronger enough, I may be able to enter and purify the Keep, granting those restless souls the release they deserve.

---

Expectations.

The days following the previous entry was somewhat glum. I felt bad, for myself. And Felix mocked me relentlessly.
I am not Samurai. I did not receive the level of training a true warrior like they were given. I could barely wield my Katana, before I was whisked away by the Mists and dropped here in this strange, hostile land. I am Miko. A Shrine-Maiden. I spent most of my adult life tending to the shrine in my home town, and I did not see combat, until my Master stepped into my life, and took me under her wing. I am often scared and horrified by the things I encounter in this new land. Especially when they take the form of powerful spirits and Yokai. I.. Still have much to learn. Every day, I learn new things. About the land, about its beasts, its laws. I learn more about the people I work with, who I trust, who I do not trust. The number of people I would trust to go into battle with is admittedly, much smaller than the number of people I have met.

With each new day, I grow just a bit stronger, just a bit more skilled. It is a slow process. Like sharpening a blade, one stroke at a time. I am not yet a warrior, but should the Kami will it, and should the circumstances require.. I will have to adapt.

---

Annihilation.

In a span of, what must have been 3 nights, many of the threats that had been building up were eliminated. The fearsome pack of Okami Otoko that were terrorizing many, leaving their brands on their foreheads, were eliminated. The dreaded blood-thirster, Mazarak, whom I had the displeasure of engaging in combat only a couple of times, was eliminated. Apparently the Daimyo of Barovia, a man known as the Count made an appearance to annihilate the vampire. And finally a third threat, whom I was mostly unaware of, a so called Spider Demon-- Sounded to me like a Joro-Gumo. She was also eliminated. I am both relieved, but also disappointed that I could not have had a hand in the elimination of these powerful threats, but this land is ever-hostile, and I am sure that given time, more nightmares will take their place.

---

Recuperation.

It has been some time after the vanquishing of the immediate threats. Life has become almost sedentary. I have purchased a brand new blade from a skilled smith, who was not Rokuma but had somehow learned how to craft a katana of incredible sharpness. It was also gilded in silver, making it deadly against the Bakemono I am sure I will be encountering throughout my stay here. In order to combat inactivity I have begun my own training regiment. Each morning, I will jog to the warehouse district to pick up supplies or letters for the Fishing Lodge, and then try to make the delivery as quickly as possible. Then.. I must carry a number of smelly barrels from the Lodge back to the warehouse district. It is exhausting, and disgusting at first, but I think I am getting used to the smell now. At least my back is getting a work out, and it pays well for peaceful work.

I have received word from Kazuma-san that Jadisu, Grissu and himself were offered to work for the Magunieru family. They might be moving away from Barovia.. I feel sad, but perhaps I can prove my worth to them and they will hire me as well..?