Hikari256
05-06-2004, 2:33 AM
here's teh uber-lots of SC-RPG writing stuff i will never get around to using, since BST asked to see it.
(ignore my post in the other thread, it's out of date.)
The setting presented:
Mayukira: I am Mayukira, Oracle of the Seventh flight. For the last nine centuries I have watched the as yet fledgling race called Humanity as it expanded it's meager horizons in the land that they call Kaipan. For seven centuries they prospered, though the Oni (Demon) Clans grew fiercer and ever more hateful. For every hundred years, the Rite of Ascension curbed the might of the Oni. The power of the Demon Queen, the Mahke'ali would wane, and there would arise a new Mahke'ali to replace her, a ten-year period of chaos amidst the Oni clans. This provided a window of opportunity for humanity to drive the demons back. For seven centuries, humanity held the Oni at bay in this manner. But then came the prelude to the long prophesied Breaking. The Mahke'ali Sildhe Ra'a was able to eliminate the one meant to succeed her. Marshalling her forces, and forcing them onward with fanatic fervor, she pushed humanity back.
Caught unprepared, humanity's defenses crumbled like rotting wood. The once proud capital city of Shikyo now lies in ruins. The Fortress of Towers at Ai, once believed impregnable, is now little more than a pile of rocks. The remnant of the Kaipanese have held on to only the Katesu plain, guarded by the two hilltop citadels of Nairuto and Darui San and the port city at Heido. It is in Heido that Joh'tayu Korematsu, the Emperor of Kaipan puts his hope. For there the Kaipanese have encountered the Inglessa, a nation of humans from across the Sapphire Sea. Bolstered by fresh troops, and new technologies, Joh'tayu believes that humanity in Kaipan now has a chance. The border forts have been fully garrisoned, and he is readying for a counteroffensive.
But the only true hope of humanity lies in the Ancient prophecies, for like all turbulent times, the Breaking has an Arbiter of Succession. The Kage no Hime. The Princess of Shadows. Born of humans, yet of Demon kind; raised in kindness, yet awash in blood. . . Many believe her a mere "old-wives tale" meant to frighten children. But she is real. In fact, she has already been born. . .
The Kage no Hime holds the scale of destiny. Her actions will decide the fates of Human and Oni alike. Only one race can prevail. But which way will the scales tip? I am but an Oracle Sparrow, I watch and remember, but can take no direct action. It is up to you the Children to take destiny into your hands.
Ascension RPG
The Children shall walk the ancient paths,
The ways forgotten, forsaken to time.
Two Maidens and Two Ronin,
Seek the elusive Breeze.
Three Lost and Three Outcast,
Fight the overwhelming Tide.
Two of the Mountains, Two from the Sea,
Reveal the mysteries of the Land.
Three Students and Three Godin*,
Find strength to face the Flame.
Four who illuminate the darkest mists,
Set out to find only their selves.
Shall Blade sever the Strands?
Or will Fire engulf All?
Arise ye who would shape the flows
Conquer Shadow, Raise the Light!
-Prophecy of the Children
From "Kai'ron Usta Nui" (Book Of Horizons)
Inglessan Transliteration of Dragon-tongue
-* In Kaipanese, a non-warrior who takes
up arms to defend home and hold
Characters Introduced (Each character has own Monolougue):
Erika/Eunice
She walks in Darkness, kissed by Shadows
Death her guard, and Destruction her retinue
Her path cuts across Strands, severing, thinning
Fear does her bidding, and Wrath heeds her call.
-From "Kage No Tenshi" Epic Poem, Unknown Author
Eunice: I always knew I was a foreigner, an outsider. My fire-red hair and sapphire eyes gave it away that I was not Kaipanese. But my few dim memories beyond the sleepy Kaipanese fishing village I lived in were little clue. . . Until I was six, and the Inglessa came. Came to reclaim me, the lost daughter of an Inglessan ship captain. My Uncle Joshua came, with my Aunt Sarah and cousin Hazel, and my true name: Eunice Lancaster. But my parents, Rei and Hideaki, the kindly Kaipanese couple who had taken the strange girl they had found washed to the shore amidst debris from a black ship, would not surrender me, and I did not wish to go. The village was my home, they, the only parents I knew. So I stayed, and my Uncle choose to stay with me, the last of the family his brother had taken voyaging four years ago. I though that my world had become perfect. My past was revealed, my was family home, and all was right in the world.
If only it were so.
All was well until my 18th nameday. On that day, while my family celebrated my rise to womanhood, the Oni came. They caught our village by surprise. We were on the coast, far removed from the Oni; none expected them to come here. But they came. So we fought; weaponless, unprepared, but we fought. We could do nothing else. I recall only that I took up a bow. After that, blackness.
When I awoke I was in my room, my mother and Lord Ibuki, the Lord of our Daiyun (province) standing over me. They told me the last thing I had expected to hear. The last thing I wanted to hear. I had turned into a Oni as fought, unleashing powerful Magic that even the Lord had never heard of. Some of the men in the village wanted to kill me. But Lord Ibuki stopped them. I almost wished he didn't. Death would have been less cruel that what he told me. . .
I am the Kage no Hime, so long ago prophesized. I am bound by fate to face Silde Ra'a. . . And decide the fates of Man and Oni alike. Death, my Guard; Destruction, my retinue. I've lived up to that, much.
I wanted to die. . . All my life I had grew up hating the Oni, and now. . . I'm one of them. But I can only press on. . And hope that I find right path. Fear may do my bidding, and Wrath may heed my call, but Destiny has me chained, ever calling me down the ways. This is my fate. This is my curse.
Takeshi
A wanderer under the watchful stars
Accepted by none, yet sought out by all
A dancer under the full blue moon
Always seeking the unreachable sky
Vere'lin, Vere'lin, Half-man, Half-Oni
Let Giri rule, lest come the fall.
-Kaipanese Children's Song
Takeshi: I wanted to be a carpenter. To craft beauty from the trees that obscured my mountain village. I had the eye for it, and my hands were deft. I dreamed of being a master craftsman. I dreamed. I dream no longer.
I was taken in the raid on the township at Su'umai, where I was apprenticed. We had heard that the demons had taken Shatu, but the same reports said they were headed towards Ai. The reports were wrong. They came upon us in the night. We were wary, forewarned even, but had not the strength to fight them. I was among those who elected to fight while the others fled. I fought, fought poorly since I knew nothing of soldiering, and was captured.
I thought that they would eat me. But what they did was far worse. I was taken before the Mahke'ali because I had "potential". Enough potential for Sildhe Ra'a to weave the powerful magics that would transform me into a Vere'lin, a half-demon.
There had been an age, the Oni claim, when there were many Vere'lin, fighting on both sides of the Human-Oni war. But neither side trusted them, and the Oni, fearing the strange abilities manifested by some Vere'lin, betrayed and slaughtered all but one of the Vere'lin who stood with them. The few Vere'lin aiding humanity were also hunted down and eliminated. But there was one Verelin the Oni could not destroy. Kaos. The sixth of the Seven Kagenoshi.
I stand with an esteemed peer, indeed. The Kagenoshi are the seven powerful beings, all distrusted by human and Oni alike, who were sealed in the Hekan mountain by the combined might of every mage humanity could muster. Who will escape one day as heralds to the Breaking. The Breaking which is now at hand. I know they will soon be loose, much as I have finally won free.
Sildhe Ra'a had me leashed, and leashed tightly, but with the Ascension of the Kage no Hime begun, her power has waned, allowing me to escape her control. Now I seek the Kage no Hime, to aid her, and to save humanity. If I can not salvage my own humanity, I can still do what I may for the rest of my people.
Joseph/ Koushiro
Koushiro: Ronin. It's a cruel, caustic word, describing a man bereft of Lord, Honor, or Livelihood. It's what I am to my people. It's what I became when my Liege, Lord Matsushiro died in battle at the claws of Oni. By tradition, I as his Samurai, should have been there, giving even my life its self for my sworn Lord. But I lived, and he died, and I am cast out without honor.
It's hard not to be bitter. I was away at my Lord's order. Fighting through the think of the battle with a message pleading for reinforcements. Am I a Kami, to fly through a raging battle to his aid? No matter. I am honor-bereft regardless. No Kaipan lord will look at me, let alone take my service. I am an outcast. A Ronin.
I vowed never to take the dishonorable routes of so many Ronin; Mercenary, Brigand, Assassin. Instead, I went to Heido, and put myself in the service of the Queen of Inglessa. I trained with their fighting men, trying my best to teach them some semblance of Bushido (Swordsmanship), trying hard not to feel shame at my lack of knowledge of their mechanical devices. I adopted their faith, and embraced their God, who proclaimed mercy and forgiveness, lessons my countrymen could do well to learn. I learned much, taught much, achieved much. . . but there was something within me that called me away from the sea. Back to the war.
And so, I find myself, a wanderer lost between two peoples, a warrior without a battle, without a lord, without direction. And yet, I find myself compelled to look. . . for the Kage no Hime. Few believe she is real, but I do. She haunts my dreams. In my dreams, she is not a monster as many believe, but a frightened girl, trying to bear the ponderous weight of destiny. I know I must help her. I will not fail again.
Alana
"Little is known of the Dragon-kin, mostly,
I suspect, because they do not wish much
to be known" -Ran Furare, Nairuko Scholar
Alana: We dragons have always maintained few links with the human kind. But we have maintained contact. Alas, one of our human allies turned against us. The High Mage Nagata Jyukai betrayed us, declaring himself Necromancer, and helping the Oni ravage our ancestral home, claiming for himself an ancient relic of ours: the Star Pearl, with which he breached the wall of the human fortress at Ai. In wake of his betrayal, I do not relish the thought of trusting humans again. But I fear I have no choice.
The breaking is upon us. The long prophesied Usurpation has occurred, and the Kage no Tenshi has begun her Ascension. And, I a child among my people find myself taking up the duty that should have been borne by an adult dragon. I have only 234 turns behind me, short of the 300 an adult would boast. But I am the last surviving Lore-seeker. I have my duty, young as I am. Crippled as I am. Crippled in battle. Lore-seekers are Warriors as well as Scholars, and I fought along my Sensei (teacher) against the Oni as they poured into our citadel. I should count myself fortunate that I live. But I find it hard. It is the ultimate cruelty for a dragon to damage her Pearl.
Pearls are what make us truly dragons. Without it, I am little more that a dragon-shadow, lacking the magic and abilities I once had. Indeed, I now stay in human form to conserve what energy I have left. But I can still weave a few spells. I can still fight. And have the most potent weapon of all: nearly two millennia of dragon-lore. The knowledge of ages will do their part to tip the scales of destiny.
Thus I have assumed this guise as a human maiden, to seek aid where it might still be found, and to find the Kage no Hime, the key to this . . . I can only hope that my understanding of the prophecies is correct. Otherwise, the world may burn all the more for my efforts.
The Quest Begins:
Seen through the morning mist, the city seems surreal, a shimmering mirage looming out of the forest. But proud parapets solidify, and the towers take firm shape.
The Citadel of Nairuko. The last bastion of Humanity. With strength bolstered by the arrival of the Inglessans, the Humans of Kaipan prepare for their final stand against the Oni. To win or die. Here heroes may yet be found. And they must be found, for they are needed more than ever. . .
(ignore my post in the other thread, it's out of date.)
The setting presented:
Mayukira: I am Mayukira, Oracle of the Seventh flight. For the last nine centuries I have watched the as yet fledgling race called Humanity as it expanded it's meager horizons in the land that they call Kaipan. For seven centuries they prospered, though the Oni (Demon) Clans grew fiercer and ever more hateful. For every hundred years, the Rite of Ascension curbed the might of the Oni. The power of the Demon Queen, the Mahke'ali would wane, and there would arise a new Mahke'ali to replace her, a ten-year period of chaos amidst the Oni clans. This provided a window of opportunity for humanity to drive the demons back. For seven centuries, humanity held the Oni at bay in this manner. But then came the prelude to the long prophesied Breaking. The Mahke'ali Sildhe Ra'a was able to eliminate the one meant to succeed her. Marshalling her forces, and forcing them onward with fanatic fervor, she pushed humanity back.
Caught unprepared, humanity's defenses crumbled like rotting wood. The once proud capital city of Shikyo now lies in ruins. The Fortress of Towers at Ai, once believed impregnable, is now little more than a pile of rocks. The remnant of the Kaipanese have held on to only the Katesu plain, guarded by the two hilltop citadels of Nairuto and Darui San and the port city at Heido. It is in Heido that Joh'tayu Korematsu, the Emperor of Kaipan puts his hope. For there the Kaipanese have encountered the Inglessa, a nation of humans from across the Sapphire Sea. Bolstered by fresh troops, and new technologies, Joh'tayu believes that humanity in Kaipan now has a chance. The border forts have been fully garrisoned, and he is readying for a counteroffensive.
But the only true hope of humanity lies in the Ancient prophecies, for like all turbulent times, the Breaking has an Arbiter of Succession. The Kage no Hime. The Princess of Shadows. Born of humans, yet of Demon kind; raised in kindness, yet awash in blood. . . Many believe her a mere "old-wives tale" meant to frighten children. But she is real. In fact, she has already been born. . .
The Kage no Hime holds the scale of destiny. Her actions will decide the fates of Human and Oni alike. Only one race can prevail. But which way will the scales tip? I am but an Oracle Sparrow, I watch and remember, but can take no direct action. It is up to you the Children to take destiny into your hands.
Ascension RPG
The Children shall walk the ancient paths,
The ways forgotten, forsaken to time.
Two Maidens and Two Ronin,
Seek the elusive Breeze.
Three Lost and Three Outcast,
Fight the overwhelming Tide.
Two of the Mountains, Two from the Sea,
Reveal the mysteries of the Land.
Three Students and Three Godin*,
Find strength to face the Flame.
Four who illuminate the darkest mists,
Set out to find only their selves.
Shall Blade sever the Strands?
Or will Fire engulf All?
Arise ye who would shape the flows
Conquer Shadow, Raise the Light!
-Prophecy of the Children
From "Kai'ron Usta Nui" (Book Of Horizons)
Inglessan Transliteration of Dragon-tongue
-* In Kaipanese, a non-warrior who takes
up arms to defend home and hold
Characters Introduced (Each character has own Monolougue):
Erika/Eunice
She walks in Darkness, kissed by Shadows
Death her guard, and Destruction her retinue
Her path cuts across Strands, severing, thinning
Fear does her bidding, and Wrath heeds her call.
-From "Kage No Tenshi" Epic Poem, Unknown Author
Eunice: I always knew I was a foreigner, an outsider. My fire-red hair and sapphire eyes gave it away that I was not Kaipanese. But my few dim memories beyond the sleepy Kaipanese fishing village I lived in were little clue. . . Until I was six, and the Inglessa came. Came to reclaim me, the lost daughter of an Inglessan ship captain. My Uncle Joshua came, with my Aunt Sarah and cousin Hazel, and my true name: Eunice Lancaster. But my parents, Rei and Hideaki, the kindly Kaipanese couple who had taken the strange girl they had found washed to the shore amidst debris from a black ship, would not surrender me, and I did not wish to go. The village was my home, they, the only parents I knew. So I stayed, and my Uncle choose to stay with me, the last of the family his brother had taken voyaging four years ago. I though that my world had become perfect. My past was revealed, my was family home, and all was right in the world.
If only it were so.
All was well until my 18th nameday. On that day, while my family celebrated my rise to womanhood, the Oni came. They caught our village by surprise. We were on the coast, far removed from the Oni; none expected them to come here. But they came. So we fought; weaponless, unprepared, but we fought. We could do nothing else. I recall only that I took up a bow. After that, blackness.
When I awoke I was in my room, my mother and Lord Ibuki, the Lord of our Daiyun (province) standing over me. They told me the last thing I had expected to hear. The last thing I wanted to hear. I had turned into a Oni as fought, unleashing powerful Magic that even the Lord had never heard of. Some of the men in the village wanted to kill me. But Lord Ibuki stopped them. I almost wished he didn't. Death would have been less cruel that what he told me. . .
I am the Kage no Hime, so long ago prophesized. I am bound by fate to face Silde Ra'a. . . And decide the fates of Man and Oni alike. Death, my Guard; Destruction, my retinue. I've lived up to that, much.
I wanted to die. . . All my life I had grew up hating the Oni, and now. . . I'm one of them. But I can only press on. . And hope that I find right path. Fear may do my bidding, and Wrath may heed my call, but Destiny has me chained, ever calling me down the ways. This is my fate. This is my curse.
Takeshi
A wanderer under the watchful stars
Accepted by none, yet sought out by all
A dancer under the full blue moon
Always seeking the unreachable sky
Vere'lin, Vere'lin, Half-man, Half-Oni
Let Giri rule, lest come the fall.
-Kaipanese Children's Song
Takeshi: I wanted to be a carpenter. To craft beauty from the trees that obscured my mountain village. I had the eye for it, and my hands were deft. I dreamed of being a master craftsman. I dreamed. I dream no longer.
I was taken in the raid on the township at Su'umai, where I was apprenticed. We had heard that the demons had taken Shatu, but the same reports said they were headed towards Ai. The reports were wrong. They came upon us in the night. We were wary, forewarned even, but had not the strength to fight them. I was among those who elected to fight while the others fled. I fought, fought poorly since I knew nothing of soldiering, and was captured.
I thought that they would eat me. But what they did was far worse. I was taken before the Mahke'ali because I had "potential". Enough potential for Sildhe Ra'a to weave the powerful magics that would transform me into a Vere'lin, a half-demon.
There had been an age, the Oni claim, when there were many Vere'lin, fighting on both sides of the Human-Oni war. But neither side trusted them, and the Oni, fearing the strange abilities manifested by some Vere'lin, betrayed and slaughtered all but one of the Vere'lin who stood with them. The few Vere'lin aiding humanity were also hunted down and eliminated. But there was one Verelin the Oni could not destroy. Kaos. The sixth of the Seven Kagenoshi.
I stand with an esteemed peer, indeed. The Kagenoshi are the seven powerful beings, all distrusted by human and Oni alike, who were sealed in the Hekan mountain by the combined might of every mage humanity could muster. Who will escape one day as heralds to the Breaking. The Breaking which is now at hand. I know they will soon be loose, much as I have finally won free.
Sildhe Ra'a had me leashed, and leashed tightly, but with the Ascension of the Kage no Hime begun, her power has waned, allowing me to escape her control. Now I seek the Kage no Hime, to aid her, and to save humanity. If I can not salvage my own humanity, I can still do what I may for the rest of my people.
Joseph/ Koushiro
Koushiro: Ronin. It's a cruel, caustic word, describing a man bereft of Lord, Honor, or Livelihood. It's what I am to my people. It's what I became when my Liege, Lord Matsushiro died in battle at the claws of Oni. By tradition, I as his Samurai, should have been there, giving even my life its self for my sworn Lord. But I lived, and he died, and I am cast out without honor.
It's hard not to be bitter. I was away at my Lord's order. Fighting through the think of the battle with a message pleading for reinforcements. Am I a Kami, to fly through a raging battle to his aid? No matter. I am honor-bereft regardless. No Kaipan lord will look at me, let alone take my service. I am an outcast. A Ronin.
I vowed never to take the dishonorable routes of so many Ronin; Mercenary, Brigand, Assassin. Instead, I went to Heido, and put myself in the service of the Queen of Inglessa. I trained with their fighting men, trying my best to teach them some semblance of Bushido (Swordsmanship), trying hard not to feel shame at my lack of knowledge of their mechanical devices. I adopted their faith, and embraced their God, who proclaimed mercy and forgiveness, lessons my countrymen could do well to learn. I learned much, taught much, achieved much. . . but there was something within me that called me away from the sea. Back to the war.
And so, I find myself, a wanderer lost between two peoples, a warrior without a battle, without a lord, without direction. And yet, I find myself compelled to look. . . for the Kage no Hime. Few believe she is real, but I do. She haunts my dreams. In my dreams, she is not a monster as many believe, but a frightened girl, trying to bear the ponderous weight of destiny. I know I must help her. I will not fail again.
Alana
"Little is known of the Dragon-kin, mostly,
I suspect, because they do not wish much
to be known" -Ran Furare, Nairuko Scholar
Alana: We dragons have always maintained few links with the human kind. But we have maintained contact. Alas, one of our human allies turned against us. The High Mage Nagata Jyukai betrayed us, declaring himself Necromancer, and helping the Oni ravage our ancestral home, claiming for himself an ancient relic of ours: the Star Pearl, with which he breached the wall of the human fortress at Ai. In wake of his betrayal, I do not relish the thought of trusting humans again. But I fear I have no choice.
The breaking is upon us. The long prophesied Usurpation has occurred, and the Kage no Tenshi has begun her Ascension. And, I a child among my people find myself taking up the duty that should have been borne by an adult dragon. I have only 234 turns behind me, short of the 300 an adult would boast. But I am the last surviving Lore-seeker. I have my duty, young as I am. Crippled as I am. Crippled in battle. Lore-seekers are Warriors as well as Scholars, and I fought along my Sensei (teacher) against the Oni as they poured into our citadel. I should count myself fortunate that I live. But I find it hard. It is the ultimate cruelty for a dragon to damage her Pearl.
Pearls are what make us truly dragons. Without it, I am little more that a dragon-shadow, lacking the magic and abilities I once had. Indeed, I now stay in human form to conserve what energy I have left. But I can still weave a few spells. I can still fight. And have the most potent weapon of all: nearly two millennia of dragon-lore. The knowledge of ages will do their part to tip the scales of destiny.
Thus I have assumed this guise as a human maiden, to seek aid where it might still be found, and to find the Kage no Hime, the key to this . . . I can only hope that my understanding of the prophecies is correct. Otherwise, the world may burn all the more for my efforts.
The Quest Begins:
Seen through the morning mist, the city seems surreal, a shimmering mirage looming out of the forest. But proud parapets solidify, and the towers take firm shape.
The Citadel of Nairuko. The last bastion of Humanity. With strength bolstered by the arrival of the Inglessans, the Humans of Kaipan prepare for their final stand against the Oni. To win or die. Here heroes may yet be found. And they must be found, for they are needed more than ever. . .