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Author Topic: FEF: Chains of Horai Redux IC Thread: Chapter 1: The Maiden and The Demon Cat  (Read 6031 times)

IamanElfCollaborator

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Fire Emblem on Forums: Chains of Horai Redux
~~Theme (Take Me Under)~~
~~~~RULES~~~~
1. All non-IC stuff is to be posted at the OOC thread. Violators will be beaten by Herbalist Lan.

2. Post formatting mandatory. As such:
Colored normal text for PC speech!
Colored italized text for PC thinking.
*Colored small text or between asterisks for PC whispering*
Normal text for generic descriptive text.
Bolded text for PC actions and orders!

3. Order of battle posts:
Players' actions -> GM resolves -> Player's actions -> GM resolves ... until all player actions have been posted -> GM posts Enemy/Ally Phase and new turn map -> Start again
If you need an action resolved before making another ask in the OOC thread.

4. Don't post until your character is properly introduced!

5. Be active if you can! I don't care if you don't want to RP, but try to post your action within a reasonable time. If you have to be warned several times your character may be automoved or put in the away list. If you can't post for personal reasons, try to warn the rest in the OOC thread. Delegating actions to other people is also allowed.
Definitely not ripped off from Solymr's posts, nope.

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Prologue: Blood Red Moon

[Now Playing: ~Impersonation~]
Twenty years ago...
Fire and blood.

The smell of fire and blood filled the air of that dark spring night. The moon, pale white, was tinted red with the dust and smoke, as Sangonomiya Shrine lay ablaze. The clerics of the shrine were in disarray; some lay, unmoving, among the ruins of the hallowed ground, while others fled.

The laws of the Five Kingdoms protected youkai. Such was the will of the gods, though the decrees of the Landed and Heavenly Chambers helped significantly. But there were many who shirked the laws, and many who did so in secret. For years, the metsuke of the Imperial Constabulary had been trying to gather evidence against Lord Ashikaga Yoritomo, the head of the Ashikaga Clan, whose proclivities against youkai were known. Through luck and support, however, the clan had managed to remain with an unsullied reputation to the general public. Yoritomo was careful; a few murders here, a few disappearances there, and not a one would ever suspect him.

Yet there were those who fought against them in the shadows.

"Not today."

Multiple Ashikaga men lay defeated, their weapons broken in half by the force of the blows that had struck them. They weren't wearing Ashikaga emblems, but of course they wouldn't; plausible deniability for them, should they be caught, and nothing tied them to the Ashikagas, not physically. The shrine around them was in flames, but these supposed bandits would not get their bounty, not today.

For today, two of the greatest warriors of the Five Kingdoms were here.

The Great Bull of Amatsu, Honda Hiroyuki. The Unsullied Blade, Tokiwa Hitoshi.

Both were here tonight to protect this shrine.

"Honda-sensei, there's a LOT of these bandits. Do you think we can hold them all off?"
"Fear not, young Hitoshi! The Bull of Amatsu will not fail today. Not for the sake of these people!"

The young red-haired man, Tokiwa Hitoshi, nodded before, with only a brief twitch, he swung his sword upwards to parry a blow from a bandit that had jumped upon him from behind, knocking his blade aside. With a fluid flourish, he slashed across the would-be assailant's chest, sending them down. At the same time, another bandit pounced at the old soldier, but Hiroyuki was ready for him; with the handle of his lance, he caught the attack, before smashing the butt of the polearm directly into his attacker's head with a resounding crack. As his latest target went down, Hiroyuki roared.

"Come with all of your swords and all of your might, you scoundrels! Your hatred...shall never overcome the cause of justice!"
"Sensei, we can't hold them here forever. And Ayaka-"
"Damnable rascals!" Hiroyuki bellowed, before he ducked, without even looking to see what he had avoided, and swung the his spear at the legs of his most recent attacker, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Young Hitoshi, go! Find Ayaka. And find that cat youkai that was with her!"
"I won't leave you-"
"If an old warrior like me should fall in the cause of justice, then it will have been a life well-spent! Now go! Find Ayaka and get her to safety!"
After a brief moment more, Hitoshi nodded, sheathing his blade and sprinting towards the middle of the shrine, as more Ashikaga men approached Hiroyuki, swords out.

The old man simply laughed.

"Come! Who shall be next to be gored by the horns of the Great Bull?!"

"I'll kill you."

A young man stood alone, surrounded by the burning ruins of all he knew.

In his arms, he held a young woman, her eyes closed, a crimson gash torn through her white priestess robes. Her dark hair fell in a curtain across his arms.

It was all he could do to keep from shaking, to keep her close.

Everything he knew was burning around him, but all that mattered to him in the world - what was left of it - was in his arms.

"I'll kill you."

Before him, Lord Ashikaga Yoritomo waited calmly, his sword by his side.

"Come then, beast. Did you think you could get away so easily, daring to taint one of our kind? You should have known better. Sangonomiya no Ayaka...she was better than any human was worth. Let alone one of yours."
"For her....for everyone she protected...how dare you?!"

The nobleman simply laughed.
"I spared her a fate worse than death. Could you imagine the embarassment? The...horror? Her marrying one of...you. Her bearing a mongrel child-"
"Shut UP!"

In a flash, the youth dropped Ayaka's body and charged at him, his body warping in size and shape, muscle and fur covering him and changing his shape until he resembled a gigantic, monstrous cougar-like monster, snarling in rage, pupilless eyes glowing yellow from fire-red fur.

"The beast's true form shows itself. Very well. Come. Fight me."

As the youkai pounced upon Yoritomo, both of them ignored a small pair of glinting lights in the shadows, disappearing into the night.

IamanElfCollaborator

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Chapter 1: The Maiden and The Demon Cat

"It looks like it'll be a really nice day today, won't it?"

The young woman stretched her hand out to the sky as the sun bore down on the slopes of Mount Kaikuma. Before her, a long winding dirt trail, well-beaten, snaked down the mountain, wagons and carriages heading up and down ferrying supplies and students towards the Pharmacy; some students went up from the towns in the foothills, arriving with the sunrise and leaving with the sunset. Many students lived on campus, the young woman herself included.

Behind her was the ancient compound of the Mizuno Pharmacy, one of the oldest educational institutions in the Five Kingdoms. The buildings resembled temples more than schools, resembling pagodas and abbeys rather than the school buildings they truly were; rumours said that this was because the compound was once a monastery, long ago, before the legendary founder, Mizu no Aina, found the healing powers of the spring around which the Pharmacy was built. To this day, water from that spring is still used in the Pharmacy's alchemical concoctions, which form much of the Pharmacy's production.

The mountains were green, lush and verdant, a sign of a good spring season. The smell of fresh morning dew was in the air.

The young woman was of average height, brown hair tied with pink ribbons and clear blue eyes, as blue as the springs which had earned Mizuno their fame. Her face looked unburdened by stress, and she seemed to wear a smile everywhere she went.

"Long as it doesn't rain. I just had these robes cleaned."

Rin laughs cheerily, looking at one of her travel companions. She was a short woman, slightly younger than her, with black hair tied with a blue ribbon. Her yukata was green, rather than blue - indicating a specialist in herbs - and the red bands on both Rin and her indicated that they had graduated the top of their class. Her name was Yin Lan; however, rarely anyone called her that, preferring to call her Herbalist Lan, after her skill with herbal medicines, and because Lan herself disliked people referring to her by her family name. Everyone but Rin, of course.

"You seem awfully cheerful."
"It'll be the first time I've been outside Mizuno, Lan. It's been so long since I've been anywhere beyond the town. They gave me something interesting to do, too!"
Lan snorts.
"It's transporting a giant wooden box to a temple and then heading to the capital. It's not that exciting."
"Easy for you to say. I bet you've seen all kinds of things from Jin!"
"Believe me. Jin isn't much to see and HEY! Careful with that!"

Lan turned to yell at one of the porters loading cargo onto the wagons they would be using for transport. There were three of them, large enough to comfortably carry multiple people seated. One was to carry the Mizuno apothecaries; Rin, Lan, Kazuko, Kaori and Amsel. One was to carry their bodyguards, for the journey south was fraught with hostile youkai and bandits alike. And one was for cargo; aside from the apothecary supplies they were to carry with them to Soumahara and their personal belongings, it would also carry the mysterious box which the Pharmacy had saddled them with.

"Gods. We'll lose half the herbs from these people dropping the things."
"We'll just pick some new ones!"
"Really? We're not going to be able to stop constantly on the way down. Besides, they put me in charge of supplying this entire expedition." Lan's tone of voice gained a tone of smugness to it, of pride; back in Jin, she had been somewhat of a merchant herself. "If you don't use up half the supplies healing every minor ache and pain on the way down, we'll be fine."
"Hehe...I'll do my best."

"MIZUNO RIN! YIN LAN! I'M LOOKIN' FOR A MIZUNO RIN AND A YIN LAN!"

A loud, booming voice cleared the crowds around the gates to the Mizuno Pharmacy, as a group of strangely dressed people led by a mountain of a man approached them. The man was shirtless, wearing only a segemented armored skirt of sorts, under which black leggings and metal boots could be seen, alongside the long, crocodilian tail marking him as a Misaki. His frame was massive, a hulking mass of muscle more akin to an Oni than a normal human, and strapped to his back was a giant nodachi, which could barely be hidden by his frame.

Rin smiles, before waving at them.
"They must be our bodyguards! Hi, Mister Bodyguard, we're over here!"
Lan groans.
"...why do half of them look...so suspicious?"
"They're probably just ready for bodyguarding and swashbuckling!"
"What does THAT even mean?"

The hulking mountain of a man approaches them, looking down at them and tilting his head.
"Ah. Ya must be our new charges. Todoroki Guren, of the Thousand Swords. Pleasure to make yer acquaintance."
"Nice to meet you too, Todoroki! I'm Mizuno Rin, and....this here is Lan! She likes-"
"Just Lan will do." She pokes her head to the side, looking behind Todoroki. "....Thousand Swords, huh? That's....not looking like a Thousand."

Todoroki snorts.
"We got the strength of a thousand swords, alright! Don't doubt us. Now..."
He looks behind him and down at the others; with his gigantic frame, he was almost twice the size of thse sellswords he'd brought with him.
"C'mon. Don't be shy. Introduce yerselves! We'll be with this lot a few weeks. Might as well get friendly!"

Everyone may post.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2024, 07:59:21 pm by IamanElfCollaborator »
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Chevaleresse

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Todoroki's shadow seems to move for a moment - no, it was just someone in his shadow, and about a third of his size, a hooded figure with a sword belted to their waist. The figure bows, but says nothing.

". . ."
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GodofGamingRWBY

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To Todoriki's side, another small girl roughly a third of his size stood there, looking more like an orphaned child than a mercenary. A grey cloak covers most of her small body, aside from her head, which revealed a pair of rat-like ears amidst a mess of brown hair. And one of her arms, which was currently holding a rice ball that she was also currently eating. The young girl didn't bother waiting to finish her current mouthful before she spoke a single word shortly after Todoroki's final words:

"Kei."
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Smoke Mirrors

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A taller blond man glanced over at the new arrivals from his place supervising the loading of cargo. After some surveying of the boxes being loaded, and some more careful checking of a specific box, emblazoned with the mark of a blackbird on the side, he walked over to the group.


"Salutations." he said, his voice clearly accented, though not to the point it was difficult to understand, "My name is Amsel Hieronymus. I assume that you are our bodyguards for this expedition, yes?"
« Last Edit: April 24, 2024, 07:46:06 pm by Smoke Mirrors »
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Lightbringer28

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Next to Kei, a fairly thin young man of average height was looking over the Mizuno group intently. Then, the man removed the hat he was wearing and stepped forward with a grin on his face. A small pair of feline ears could be seen sitting atop his long black hair, an indicator that he was another Misaki.

"Hey there! I'm Kurokawa Shinji! Nice to meet all of ya."
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ctsun

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Kaori was busy lugging along some of the last boxes and loading them onto the carriage when she noticed the newcomers. The hired bodyguards, she'd assumed. She offered them a stiff-looking nod and a short bow forwards through the heavy-looking box in her hands.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Tsunomaki Kaori. I, um, assume you're here to help?"
« Last Edit: April 25, 2024, 04:51:07 am by ctsun »
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LyfeldLesk

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The cloak flowed against the wind, a hand gripping the teal cloth, a step after another as the wanderer made way through the path, helping himself with a wood pole - hardly deserving of the title of 'staff'.

The forming shape of the gates of the Mizuno Pharmacy could tell him that he had arrived to his destination. The trail had been an arduous one, his only guide being the omens - the voices of the Ten Divines - that commanded him to push further.

He had seen many caravans wind up and down, carrying goods and students of medicine alike, yet neither of them were the one he was looking for.

The mountain rolls, guiding the river.

Still immobile, the caravan that had been calling to him came to view, with what could be assumed as the members of that convoy. By the non-uniform clothing of a large part of the party, a simple word formed on the hooded man's lips.

"Mercenaries."

The mountain bears fangs of steel, poised for defense. That was Roland's first thought as the towering man - bare-chested, tough-looking - was noticed by him.

He then approached the carriage, his face kept hidden.

"Are any within you anyone interested in what the fortunes have reserved for your endeavors?" He spoke with a dried voice, his gaze obscured by the hood.
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IamanElfCollaborator

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Todoroki nods enthusiastically.
"Damn straight. Hired directly by the old coots to watch over this here caravan."

Lan snorts.
"I'm surprised the cheapskates who run the Pharmacy had the money to spare."
"You think it might be because of...that?" Rin says, as she points towards the cargo wagon. Behind the box emblazoned with a blackbird, another box is loaded onto the wagon. The box is simple, unadorned with any emblems or symbols, and appears faded and old, the wooden surface gnarled with age. Red shimenawa tie the box close, one lengthwise and one crosswise. The box looks big enough to contain a person, if the person was seated. And wasn't, of course, Todoroki Guren.

Lan goes over to have a closer look, but Rin grabs her arm.
"H-hey! Be careful!"
"I was just going to have a closer look, Rin."
"Those ropes...they usually tie them around stuff that needs to be purified. It's not like the poisons you always mess around with, Lan."
"Pfft. You'll just end up looking at it yourself. You're just as curious about it as I am."
"Well...you're not wrong. I dunno. It feels like someone's....locked in there."
"Seriously? Do you really think those old coots stashed someone in there? Come on, they're not that depraved."

Then, the fortune teller shows up. Lan approaches them.
"Not right now, we haven't got time for-"
"We're sorry, we'd like to pass on the divinations, but...we'd be happy to give you some alms!"
"That won't help."

LyfeldLesk

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The hooded fortune teller laughed shortly, the cheer interrupted by a coughing fit.

"My sincere apologies, then." With a swift, gentle motion, he offered his hand, in wait for the alm.
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IamanElfCollaborator

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As Rin heads to grab her money bag, Todoroki interposes himself between the fortune teller and the others.

"Mind showing us your face a moment? Sorry. You kinda seemed familiar."

LyfeldLesk

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The towering mountain stood in front of him, causing the hooded figure to turn his head up slightly.

"No worries." The hand retracted, as it reached the hood and pulled it back. As the blue cloth fell behind his head, his black, short hair came to view. The face of a young man - not beyond his twenties - came to view, uncovered. "Everyone looks the same under the guise of cloth."
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IamanElfCollaborator

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Todoroki grunts. He seems....satisfied, by whatever answer he was looking for. Probably a good thing.
"Never mind. Why the....formal talk?"

LyfeldLesk

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The answer came out as soon as the living mountain spoke. "Those whose tongue is ill-mannered cannot hope to be one to relay missives from above." Words that left the vagabond as if second nature - recited as if it were part of a sermon directed to the common folk.

The wanderer then turned his gaze to the path that he had taken to arrive here - reaching further than the downhill road, arching towards the sea. Pulling his hood up, Roland spoke anew.

"It is safer for the ones with my fate."
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