SETTING

Feudal Japan, approximately during the Edo period.


THE BACKSTORY

One hundred years prior to the start of the story, there was a legendary swordsmith named Kayou Kuso. Throughout his lifetime, he was credited with making high quality katanas, to the point where the emperor of Japan acknowledged his skill. It was in his old age, however, that the emperor's son requested him to make seven blades of the "highest quality that has ever been seen." Once presented, the emperor's son was displeased with them, and ridiculed the old man. He demanded them to be remade, but Kayou refused. He said they were the finest swords to ever be made and that it would be impossible to improve them. Infuriated, the emperor's son had him thrown out of the castle and his name dishonored. Shamed, Kayou Kuso retreated with his blades and gave up the art of swordsmithing. It was unknown when he died, due to his reclusive nature, but ten years after that event, bad things began to happen.

The man that had shamed the legendary swordsmith became emperor ten years later, and immediately there were problems. In the far north of Japan, strange monsters as black as the night, called Oni, began to appear and wreak havoc upon the land. At first, despite the ferocity of these demons, there was little concern over the matter. The armies of the land were more than capable enough to keep the demons under control. However, as time dragged on and the weeks became months, the months became years, and the years became decades, the invasion never faltered. In fact, it only grew in intensity. More demons continued to appear, and they grew stronger too. This proved to be too much as the years dragged on and the nation of Japan began to lose ground to these creatures. Now, ninety years after the start of the invasion, the demons have destroyed nearly half of Japan, leaving the emperor and the shogunate in a panic.

The current emperor, the third generation to be in command during this invasion, is growing desperate. His army is wearing thin. By this point the daimyo have all put aside their differences in order to join forces against the Oni. As grim as the situation has become, a recent discovery may have turned the tides. The shogun's most prized samurai, Yasushi Miyoshi, combatted Oni for the first time and it was discovered that his katana was able to destroy the demons in droves. When questioned, he explained that his blade had been passed down his family line for a few generations, originating about one hundred years back. This led to the discovery that Kayou Kuso had distributed his final blades after his humiliation, and also the discovery that the blades had legendary power and abilities. When the emperor tried to relinquish Yasushi of his sword, Kouhei, he found that nobody else could even draw the blade. The swords chose their owners. With this in sight, it was determined that the power of these blades would be necessary to combat the demon invasion, and Yasushi was charged with the task of gathering the other six swords.


THE STORY

After gathering all the swords and their owners, Yasushi Miyoshi brings them all back to the emperor for their instructions. They are told the history behind the swords and their mission, which is to travel deep into the Oni territory and find a way to end the invasion and destroy the demons. This is emphasized not to be optional, and the seven owners are to be accompanied full force by a small battalion of soldiers. While they travel Japan, they will learn of the mysteries that surround their swords and the demons that stand in their way. Perhaps they will learn a bit about the emperor and shogunate too, and hopefully a bit about each other. But one thing for certain is that the road ahead is difficult and unknown. After all... nobody that has strayed north has ever returned.



I'm hoping to see if anyone has any interest in this. I've withheld some of the details intentionally, but I will answer (most) questions. Any love here?