A Lost Hope
The StoryIn the land of Joukai, or Heaven in some translations, there has been nothing but war, bloodshed, and violence. Constant infighting between the great clans has resulted in the corruption of the land. Oni (demons) are more powerful than ever and grow stronger everyday. They have pushed into Human lands, breaking the Thousand Year Wall which has kept them at bay. Increasingly violent storms erupt across the land for unknown reasons. The chaos of the time is a great mystery to all those living in Joukai.
At last a sliver of hope came to the land as Mori Takuji defeated his rivals the Go-Hojo and Takeda to finally bring an end to the period of Warring States. The young ambitious leader took his new armies, swelled by his new Go-Hojo and Takeda vassals, and fought back against the Oni, he brought the Magi together and ordered them to create a magical barrier that controlled the seasons. Things were getting better for the denizens of Joukai, Clans began to accept each other as they became united against a common foe. Even the traditional enemies began working together. The Oni were on full retreat as the new Emperor's forces crushed them.
On the brink of victory, disaster struck. The Emperor fell ill with a mysterious disease that none of the doctors nor diviners could cure, nor understand. The Emperor just laid on his bed, withering away slowly unable to rule the Empire he had worked so hard to create. Having no heir, and no one to step in his place, the Great Council began arguing over who would hold the position as Head of the Council in the absence of the Emperor. As a rule, only Daimyo could sit on the Great Council, and so the Mori found themselves at the will of the other clans. the United Joukai was falling apart. The Tribunal of Magik, ordained by the Emperor, broke apart as their was no one to control the vicious plotting between the Magi.
Soon it seemed that man would be doomed forever. Though their was one last and final hope. Minister of the Interior Kurosawa Sato put forth a summons to all those brave enough and willing to serve their Emperor. He knew that in order to save the Empire, the Emperor would have to recover from this disease and he would have to assemble the greatest warriors and mages in the land to look for the cure.
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Basically in a nut shell, The Emperor has fallen sick and it seems the land will again fall into a darkness. All persons willing have been called to serve to help find a cure.
I am the Game Master, thus I am all villains and enemies, plus all allies and friends. Players shall be one of many teams assembled to find this cure.
I will control the general flow of the game, and will try to keep it on course as much as possible. Side/player plots and quests may be done if first submitted to me for approval.
A run down of general classes and clans next.
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The ClansThe Mori
Head: Mori Takuji
Technically the ruling clan, they have now been subjected to the rule of the others in the council. They generally hate this new regime and being extremely loyal to the Emperor, wish his safety. The Mori are fierce soldiers and live very simple family oriented lifestyles with the notable exception of their major cities which are massive industrial areas.The average Mori makes little and is happy with it. Very simplistic militaristic culture, even more so than the rest of Joukai. The Mori are known for excellent crafts and tradesmen. Crafts and trades are operated and passed down through families. The Mori are centered around Joru, a large fortress-city. Traditional enemies of the Go-Hojo, and ally of the Sanada.
Favored Class: Samurai
Element: Fire
The Go-Hojo
Head: Hojo Ujinori
A people notable for their artists, the Go-Hojo live in urban areas and support themselves mainly through Trade. The Go-Hojo are the traditional enemies of the Mori, and natural allies of the Takeda. The Go-Hojo have some of the greatest priests in Joukai and favor the Magical arts. They are highly religious and take most things as being signs from the spirits. Their priests posses a special bond with the spirits and they are able to summon and call forth a great many things. Being the closest to the Oni encroachments, they too seek to save the Emperor in order to save themselves.
Favored Class: Shaman
Element: Air
The Oda Clan
Head: Oda Nobuo
The most technologically advanced of the clans, and the richest of the groups. Called the snake of Joukai by the other clans because of the history of betrayal and deceit by the Oda to their "allies". The Oda shift between sides in order to gain what is best for them. They live in dense metropolitan areas with an economy based on silk trade. The Oda have the best scholastic institutes in Joukai, most well-to-do people attend a university in Oda territory. Very liberal in nature. The Oda are masters at stealth and magick combined, making them deadly assassins and even worse enemies. The Oda Dai-li (Secret Service/ Police), is the most feared organization in Joukai. One of their agents is worth several armies in terms of the damage they can do in a court. Their intentions are never clear and many suspect them of seeking to use the new chaos to reemerge as a great power by taking control of the other clans.
Favored Class: Ninja (imbued with Magic)
Element: Earth
The Sanada Clan
Head: Sanada Yukimura
The seafaring people of Joukai, they are skilled sailors and have adapted greatly to the new stability. Most people fish for a living, though many farm and herd. They are skilled tradesmen, and many have far reaching economic empires supported on the backs of poorer people. The Sanada will often times hire out families of people to do labor for other clans. The Sanada have never lost an engagement at sea. Sanada sea power is supported by their skilled water bending abilities. Their benders are no more powerful than other elements, only they posses so many of them that they can use their abilities en masse. This phenomenon remains unexplained.
Favored Class: Water Bender
Element: Water
Takeda Clan
Head: Takeda Shingen
The Takeda are also skilled soldiers, with an emphasis on fast paced warfare developed from a horse culture. The Takeda are also fiercely religious, and monitor the religious practices of most of the region. They live urban lives with a large middle class. They are by far the most conservative of the clans. The Takeda are an off branch of the Mori, and thus resemble them in many ways. They feel as though they have the rights to the throne, though they do not openly oppose the Mori. Many seek to aid the Emperor as a means of keeping the peace.
Favored Class: Fire Bender (Samuraiesque only augmented by Fire abilities, the requirements for being Samurai.)
Element: Fire
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The ClassesNote that these classes are just general outlines and not restrictive. Their can be blends as well as classes you may introduce. All I need to do is review your character and approve it. If you make a new class or blend them you must describe it adequately. I will not have any godly people in here.
Diviner/Magician - Manipulates the Magical elements of the world. Their abilities are not element specific but are much more vast in choice. Mages are generally reclusive and view others as fools because they have not devoted their life to study and learning. Mages are also very jealous of their secrets and powers that they have discovered and thus generally despise other mages. Mages rely on a spell book where they have recorded their magical findings, as long as they have their book, they may cast their spells (They don't have to read most spells during combat). Uber long and power spells usually take a great deal of time, have many components and must be read from the book. Mages often times seek relics of former mages so that they can incorporate the powers of them into their own bodies.
Benders - Elemental benders who inherit their abilities from their clan and parents. You must be born with bending abilities, and then taught by a master. Bending abilities are clan specific as they are genetic and thus you may only bend one element, and that element must align with your clan. Their are odd benders such as Sand and Grass, but their clans have been largely eliminated or are not important. Bending takes a lifetime to fully master.
Shamans & Priests - Those who devote themselves to the spirits that govern these lands. They use the powers of the their chosen spirit to do abilities and for battle. Many Shamans are also benders and blend their powers. Shamans and Priests can summon other beings from different planes to do their bidding.
Samurai - The Noble Warrior Class of Joukai. While anyone born to a Samurai father is technically Samurai, Samurai usually refers to the fighter. Samurai are fiercely loyal to their lord and usually devote themselves to a single field and focus on that, such as archery, horsemanship, or swordsmanship. Often times Horsemanship is blended with archery or swordsmanship though. Most Samurai do not posses any mystical abilities due to the fact that they devote most of their time to governing and training in martial arts.
Ninja - Everyone loves a Ninja. The Ninja of Joukai employ magick along with stealth for maximum results. They often times band together in groups or organizations where they receive employment from nobles and sometimes entire clans. Ninja work towards their own goals, though are usually driven by greed and opportunity.
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Character submissions should include all the following things -
Name, Age, Sex (male or female your pervs)
[Character Picture] (Optional)
Clan,
Class/description of new class (devote a few sentences describing your abilities even if you have one of the classes listed above)
History
Weapons
Interesting features
