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Saisei: The Crimson Dawn

Lets get this shit started

• 葉隱 •

discord.gg/mhGxzS

• 葉隱 •

Just a PSA, I’m only waiting on one more sheet and then the IC will go up. Thank you all for waiting.

Also if you guys would like to have a discord server let me know.

• 葉隱 •

@13org

I’m still looking to accept so you can PM me a bio. We can discuss possible characters to flesh out.

Saisei: The Crimson Dawn

Enma Senju

“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace!”

Personal Dossier

---

_Name

Senju, Enma

_Age

12

_{Chakra Nature}

Suiton

Characterization

---

_{Personality Traits}

Charismatic
Optimistic
Outgoing
Loyal
Responsible
Empathetic
Reliable

_{Personal History}

Being born into the Senju family merits a few expectations having been one of the past Hokage’s and a prestigious name established in the world. Enma has always had his work cut out for him to ensure he wasn’t left in the shadows of his two illustrious brothers, Madarame and Midori. Granted they were both much older than him, this only increased the metric to which he was measured to. Whenever the two weren’t out completing missions they focused their attention to Enma and vowed to make him into an appropriate ninja and one that could live up to the Senju name and carry on the legacy of the first, Idarama.

Now this isn’t to say his parents were not in the picture nor that his parents weren’t loving or placed the responsibility of raising him onto their other sons. Rather, their father Nobu and mother Atsumi were both of traditional minds. Much like Idarama they respected the value of humanity, empathy, and the need to unify all ninja under one banner. In order to nurture that ideology most of the Senju subscribed to them exercised their efforts largely to the clan in order to keep the balance and devote their time to the community in large. In turn Enma was raised in shifts. Whenever his parents weren’t there to raise him his brothers picked up the slack and vice versa. Through this he learned the ideals that would ground his personality from the Senju community and the effectiveness of his KG and ninja prowess through his brothers.

Born as the last child has also given him a level of creativity and persistence that has flourished in his strategic and fighting ability. His time at the academy has only allowed for him to experience the nuances between varying clans securing his motivation to preserve each clan and the peace between them.

Attributes

---

_{Special Traits}

Master of All: While most ninja or clans tend to focus on one particular skillset the Senju are blessed with the ability to hone proficiency in all avenues of ninja techniques. Derived from their name a thousand skills, Enma is trained in genjustu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. Having evenly disbursed his mastery across all areas for the level a genin can permit he has created a variety of skill he can use to deal with mostly any enemy.

Man vs Wild: Enma is a survivalist, growing up his two older brothers would drop him off in random locations with out any provisions. His only goal was to return home with nothing but the clothes on his back and his ninja techniques. They did this in order to draw out his specialty in wood release where he can sprout life out of the wood they manipulate, in other words he has quite literally a green thumb. Having been able to cultivate his plant manipulation and live off of the resources around him he’s become quite versatile in survival situations and the use of the earth that surrounds him.

_{Character Focus & Skillset}

Mokuton: Enma has always taken a liking to, but more so in the living part of the wood. This has developed itself in Enma and his wood allowing him to sprout an array of flowers and manipulate the wood beyond the standard practices of just using it for trees. His flower manipulation mostly relies on the foundation created by jutsu such as Advent of a World of Flowering trees. Not only can he create flowers but manipulate and control the machinations that also make up flower biology such as pollen, photosynthesis, and carnivorous mechanics.

Innovation: Like some of his ancestors, the will of fire and passion to constantly create new jutsu is buried deep in Enma’s mind taking root of his aspirations. There’s always so much to learn and ways to implement everything he’s learned so far into practice. Enma does want to create jutsu for the masses, but for now his ideas remain attached to his clan and so do his jutsu. Meaning that for now his creations will be limited to those who bear the Senju Clan crest.

God Shinobi/Hokage: As most genin are young aspirants of someday leading the village and having their name etched in stone or ink. Enma is another hopeful prospect of that dream, he wants to become revered as a God Shinobi and/or become the Hokage of the Leaf. Filling the shoes of his great ancestor Idarama will be a hard path to walk, but Enma knows that nothing in life worth having is easy. Like a tree he hopes to sink his roots into his home and grow into a figure that is strong enough to tower among the rest.

Jutsu List

---

_{S Rank}

N/A

_{A Rank}

N/A

_{B Rank}

N/A

_{C Rank}

Lion Combo
Water Clone Technique

_{D Rank}

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique
Leaf Gale
Temporary Paralysis Technique

_{E Rank}

Academy Techniques

Saisei: The Crimson Dawn

I'm in

• 葉隱 •

@crouchingbacon

Here, but if you feel more comfortable running by it me first I don’t mind PM either.

My sheet is now viewable in the characters tab.

• 葉隱 •

「雀の千声より鶴の一声」

S U Z U M E N O S E N G O U E Y O R I T S U R U N O H I T O G O E

b e t t e r o n e c r y o f a c r a n e t h a n a t h o u s a n d c h i r p s f r o m
s p a r r o w s

N A M E

Hane Aki, The Red Crowned Crane.

autumn (羽) | (秋) feather
羽秋、丹頂鶴。

A G E

Seventeen.

T O T E M

Crane.

A P P E A R A N C E

Only a few years out of maturity, Aki’s physique has not yet reached its full development/peak. His body is tight having a rather low body fat percentage and inlaid with prominent ridges where muscles bend and crevices sink. Vascularity can be clearly seen around the back of his hands as they branch off into his arms, chest, and legs. He has a particularly silent walk and overall mannerism about him, appearing as if he were just gliding along rather than walking. The traditional high bun most samurai wear their hair in has been cut, leaving his hair dangle unevenly across his skull, hidden by an amigasa. He has no distinction in voice or smell that sets him apart his contemporaries, but instead tends to store and eat berries as most cranes do. His hakama has been modified so the area above the knee and below has been cut and exposed to allow for more maneuverability. Aki wears a short happi jacket in plain white with the tsurumon imprinted in the back and black tabi on his feet.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Just as the process of folding a katana is repeated several times, so is the process of Aki’s maturation. Coming from a distinguished family of samurai, the eight virtues of Bushido were deeply engrained into his personality as a boy. Honor, loyalty, and rectitude above all no matter what the cost was or whatever internal turmoil had manifested. That’s not to say Aki was solely composed of these ways, rather the implementation of the baby crane allowed for other traits to grow in the young boy’s heart. He has a kindness to himself and his eyes. A strong bond of compassion and empathy has been forged and tethered to nature and the spirits surrounding. While he was not devoutly religious his pedigree aligned with the teachings of Shinto. Aki values cleanliness and order to the point of ensuring every meal is properly placed and cleaned afterwards. Some might see him as rigid or static, but it’s important for him to lead by example and truly cherish every aspect of life material or not. While he is nearly mute in acoustics when he does speak it is with a tinge of warmness that is both soothing and calming. Lastly, Aki goes to great efforts to ensure his movements are precise and articulated from his mind directly through his body even if he falters and relies on instinct.

S T R E N G T H S

天の鶴踊る | T H E H E A V E N L Y F L O W I N G C R A N E D A N C E

Aki practices The Heavenly Flowing Crane Dance, a sword style passed down to each male of the following generation. The school primarily focuses on speed and uses Batoujutsu for its timing and targeting. The fundamentals of this school are surrounded by the family’s crest, the red crowned crane. Once the male in question has reached the age of 7 they are presented with a baby crane. The crane is used to create a symbiotic relationship and develop responsibility by keeping the crane alive and healthy. Not only does it instill character and responsibility, but also passively teaches the successor the foundations for specific sword techniques as they study the crane’s behavior. There are three milestones during this time: Adolescence, Puberty, and Succession. With each milestone the growth between crane and child directly translates to the growth in sword style. The connection becomes so empathic that if a crane is improperly raised the student will also reflect such deviation. If a crane becomes temperamental so will the owner and vice versa. If the crane were to die, the journey to succession would also extinguish. Conversely, if a crane were to die after maturation or in battle the owner keeps a totem with a feather in service of the bond.

R O O S T I N G C R A N E

After watching and mimicking the behavior of roosting for warmth done by cranes, Aki has translated the behavior into a Flowing Crane Dance technique. Instead of warmth, roosting has built up the muscles in his legs from practicing standing on one leg for hours. The cumulation of this practice for years has allowed for his grip strength in his feet to increase torque, strengthened his center of balance, and increase his movement speed.

F L I G H T O F T H E C R A N E

By stimulating the muscle fibers in his legs and allowing more oxygen to enter his blood, Aki can move at significant speeds that some rumors say leave three after images; a tribute to his mon.

W E A K N E S S E S

H E A V Y F O O T I N G

While Aki does move exceptionally fast, what the eye can’t detect in front of them can detect what’s beneath them. The strength and power in which Aki utilizes leaves behind foot prints in the ground from his feet crashing against the ground.

S T I L L G R E E N

Still a pupil to his house, Aki has not mastered many feats or techniques associated with the Heavenly Flowing Crane dance, thus only leaving him to rely on his incredible speed and swordplay to date.

T H E M E

The Water Priestess | Mikumari no Miko

• 葉隱 •

@vFear

If you would like I can post my sheet as an example.

@crouchingbacon

Females would be allowed and the healer idea sounds interesting.

• 葉隱 •

•HAGAKURE•

<sub>Both the victor
and the vanquished are
but drops of dew,
but bolts of lightning,
thus should we view the world.
- The death poem of Ôuchi Yoshitaka</sub>

---

The Plot

The Plot

The Grand Empire has ruled Tsukishima for thousands of years, maintaining the Bakuhatsu dynasty for generations immemorial. Their current ruler, Emperor Kaoru Bakuhatsu, has brought the empire to new heights by being the first Tsukihito to accept the trade agreements of a foreigner, focusing newfound imperial funds on developing technology such as the steam drill, gatling gun, and hot air balloon. Though the empire has grown richer, more technologically advanced, and is furthering science to heights previously unknown, this is believed by the pious to have extended man's domain and power further than it had been intended to be by the gods, which has caused a recent supernatural insurrection. Entire villages are found slaughtered overnight, shadowy beings are said to kill travellers, spastic children are born with red eyes and skin like cracked riverbeds, and men tending to their paddies suddenly drop their tools, speak in tongues, and murder their families in minutes. Roadside temples are being found desecrated more and more, and from Mount Kaji, a deep rumbling grows. More and more, villagers have turned to their once-forgotten temples and shrines, affixing holy symbols to their doors and keeping their doors tightly shut at night.

Though this uprising of demons has been denied by local shoguns and government officials, the Grand Imperial Military has been stationed in many villages for seemingly no reason but "guarding foreign cargo shipments", though many suspect Emperor Kaoru has begun to take notice of the supernatural occurrences. Although areas occupied by the Grand Imperial Military are kept safe from demons and spirits, the soldiers and samurai employed by the government are essentially immune to the Empire's laws, and are known for their wanton cruelty to the serfs they protect. This lack of transparency on the empire's part and anger towards the occupying army has caused a rift in Tsukishima's society, with more and more citizens fed up with the empire and turning to bandit groups and travelling ronin to protect them. However, as the bandit groups usually require extortion payments and are oftentimes as cruel as the occupying soldiers, between the demons and what protects the villagers from them, life has never been harsher to the common man. It is a time that calls for heroes.

The World

The World

Our story takes place in Tsukishima, a crescent-shaped continent about half the size of Europe, ruled by The Grand Empire, which is as authoritarian and fascist as their name sounds. As is the case with many anime settings, the country is ambiguously Japanese without actually being set in Japan -- Characters and locations have Japanese names, spirituality is divided by strongly Buddhist and Shinto seeming religions, and concepts like honor and filial piety have a place in everyday life. The setting will be split between rural and urban villages, with smaller villages having hand-pumped water and traditional Japanese architecture (Rice paper walls, tatami mats, squat toilets) while more urban villages have steam, plumbing, and western-style beds. As you move closer to the country's western coast, villages become cities, sandals become slippers, and the swords of town guards are replaced by jitte and clubs. Our stories start as far from the west as possible.

Though one of the themes of the RP is the world's rapid industrialization, keep in mind that there aren't any crazy cyberpunk neon cities. At most, the level of the tech in our world is the same as that of the Naruto universe; In the most urban areas, Electricity, factories, gunpowder, and steam-powered machinery are not commonplace, but they are becoming increasingly so. Gatling guns and cannons exist, though only the highest order of the Grand Imperial Army, the Imperial Guard, have access to them. In terms of realism, try to consider our world low fantasy -- Onis, Kappas, Yokai, and all other mythical creatures are still mythical, and dragons are only ever seen in papery forms at parades. Only recently -- to the tune of a year, more or less -- have supernatural occurrences started happening, and that's limited to demons and other vengeful spirits like that. Magic is performed by the highest-ranking priests and monks, and is usually limited to healing wounds, ki strikes, and that cool levitating meditation trick. Otherwise, if you want to kill somebody, you're going to use a sword and not a magic missile.

Our world will be about as dark as the average 90's anime, and will borrow from a few (Most notably, Ninja Scroll). Graphic, if unrealistic violence will be the norm, whereas other dark themes will mostly take the side stage, or be balanced out to make the world less of a complete crapsack. If we meet a homeless alcoholic, he'll crack jokes. If an NPC is tryna rape somebody, it's because another character is about to be introduced as a trustworthy, honorable character by killing them. If the group encounters a drug-addicted prostitute, she will turn out to be a man in drag with a deep voice. I want to tell a compelling story with compelling villains, but I'm not tonedeaf to my own edginess.

Additionally, though the RP will have realistic occurrences and consequences, I'll admit that if you survive the solo stage and end up in the main group, your character will don plot armor from then on. Feel free to be a bit more brave or outspoken in your actions, as I guarantee you won't die -- If you pass the first month or two of this RP without dropping out. That seems like a good segue to the next section.

The Rules

The Rules

1. Every time I've run this RP, I've had to deal with butthurt people in my PMs when I reject their samurai, or the anguish of well-written characters arriving too late to be accepted. Given that I am only accepting one writer -- at the most, two -- and already have more applicants than I am willing to accept, I fully encourage those of you who do not get accepted for one reason or another to take this idea and run with it. You have my full permission to rip the entire OOC and post it elsewhere to run a game of demon-fighting samurai with your pals. I intended this initially to be a 1x1, which then became a 1x1x1. If you get rejected, it's more likely me than you, given the characters are already on a discord you have no way of seeing. Anyway. No hard feelings.

2. Every character should be different -- They should look different, act different, approach the same problem in different ways, and have different fighting styles. They should have different themes, different backstories, and different goals. If you see a character who's big and red, make a guy who's short and blue. The only thing that shouldn't be different is their weaponry -- Everyone is a martial artist using a melee weapon. No archers or riflemen, sorry. Makes balanced combat difficult when one character can competently kill dudes from fifty feet. I'd prefer a bunch of very different styles of swordsmanship to a party where everyone uses an arbitrarily different exotic weapon, but I'm certainly open to non-sword users within reason. Think Samurai Champloo or Afro Samurai before Inuyasha.

3. This RP is about character development as much as it is plot development, so bring your A-Game. I've got an overarching plot in mind to bring all the villain NPCs you introduce during your solo tenure, so bring good villains. Bring a good backstory to build on personal change with while you're at it, too. As characters develop and there are more demons and samurai to fight, players who have been here since the beginning will scale up in power -- I don't want to do kamahamehas and power tier transformations as much as I want to see named attacks, wire-fu, and punches that leave little craters in the wall. Hopefully, we won't need a reference point for the level of fantasy used because it'll be enforced by all the posts.

4. Don't intentionally be a contrarian dick. Aside from any "Respect da GM" rule, if you have a problem with something I've written or something someone else has written, just try to bring it up in a respectful manner. There are too many roleplays ruined by petty disagreements, insistence on being right, and general toe-stepping that could be avoided by thinking "Would I say this to someone's face?" I reserve the right as GM to outright reject players or ideas, but I'm not gonna do that unless suggesting a dozen alternatives if I think a suggestion isn't right, because I am not an intentionally contrarian dick. So follow that rule as best as I do, I guess.

5. Last but not least, have fun! I didn't want a rule list with four rules, are you kidding me? No for real, the last rule is to PM me your sheet instead of posting it on the thread. If you're accepted, I'll PM you. I already have myself and two writers, so I will be accepting one to two more. Probably one.

The Setting

The Setting

Most countries date their founding on the arrival of foreign invaders -- Not Tsukishima. For thousands upon thousands of years, the Tsukihito have met every invading force with the same swords that they pass down through generations. The island nation has had their ruling family, the Bakuhatsu family, for as long as they have recorded their history through paintings and the written word -- which they had developed sooner than other cultures -- and most likely longer than even that. In the same vein, Tsukishima has only ever had two religions, which have both simply been called The Sacred Path and The Holy Path for as long as anyone remembers. The Sacred Path is originally from Seung Yua, and follows the teachings of The Enlightened One, whereas The Holy Path is a polytheistic animist religion native to Tsukishima, centered around gods known as The Kami in lieu of one enlightened mortal.

Tsukishima is effectively owned by the oldest male of Clan Bakuhatsu, more frequently called "The Emperor" than by his birth name, which becomes nearly obsolete after his coronation. Below the emperor are the four shogun, each controlling a quarter of the continent as kings, whose word is second only to the emperor's. The shogunate clans and their branches are known as "high samurai", distinguished from peasantry, merchants, lords, and daimyō by being permitted by the emperor to own and ride horses, as well as each of their male members being permitted to become samurai. Below the shogun are the 64 daimyō. It is said of the daimyō that few rule ports, some rule mines, most rule rice paddies, and all rule the small folk. The richest and most well-connected to the shogunate are typically in the east or west, whereas the less impressive daimyō live in the south -- known as the rice paddy kingdom -- and the frozen north, which was only annexed by the empire three hundred years ago. Daimyō are permitted to raise their eldest sons to be samurai and essentially act as mayors, lords, and petty kings of the continent. Below the daimyō are the landed samurai -- retired samurai who have purchased lands and have started a branch house of their clan -- and the samurai, Tsukishima's most ancient and honored caste. Below the samurai are the merchants, artisans, and peasantry, and below them, the burakumin; butchers, gravediggers, and tanners, who are considered untouchable.

Tsukishima has two neighboring countries -- Goristan and Seung Yua. Goristan is the larger of the two, spanning further than Tsukishima's fleet has sailed and taking up all of the west, as far north and south as the west seems to go. Goristan has a generally cold relationship with Tsukishima -- they have no trade or immigration with Tsukishima, having a mountainous coast, though there are very rare immigrants who are mostly fleeing persecution for various crimes. They are called Goristani, and have a more Eurasian look than Tsukihito, with round eyes and hair ranging from black to dark brown that grows on their face as thick as on their head. The Goristani have tried to invade Tsukishima three times, being repelled by Tsukishima's combined forces the first two times and washed away by typhoons the third. They possess steam power, rudimentary electricity, and gunpowder, though very little is known about these three wonders in Tsukishima until very recently. The Goristani fight with slightly-European looking Jiangs and muskets, and are thought to be loud, rude, and greedy. They cultivate cows for beef, milk, and cheese, leading to the word for Goristani in Tsukihito translating literally to "cow mouth people". It is the setting's equivalent to China and Eurasia.

Seung Yua is a small island nation near Tsukishima's southeastern archipelago, known as the Tokukokko Islands. It is largely comprised of its own ethnic group, the Seungyo, though its western coast has a thriving population of immigrants from Tsukishima and the Tokukokko islands. It is a poor country, and its people are generally seen as dirty, smelly, unintelligent, and clearly inferior to Tsukishima. Though it carries a great number of negative stereotypes, it is also seen as mystical, exotic, and spiritual, due to it being the birthplace of The Sacred Path and its predecessor, the Divine Path -- Buddhism and Hinduism, respectively -- It is believed that the founder of The Sacred Path was born in Seung Yua and came by way of raft as an infant. The Seungyo fight with curved swords, chakram, and a multitude of bizarre and foreign weapons. It is the setting's equivalent to India, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The Themes

The Themes

Modern Industry vs Traditional Naturalism

The largest theme in Hagakure is lifted from a lot of anime, because it has been a prevalent theme in Japanese society for the past century. It is implied that belief in the Sacred Path and Holy Path had been on a decline throughout previous years, and outright stated that demons had not shown up until Tsukishima abandoned tradition in favor of industry. Additionally, demons are repelled by items granted reverence in the Sacred Path -- heirlooms, weapons, and structures that have lasted one hundred generations and have been given a soul by the kami. The Grand Empire has an array of steampunk villains aided by technology, which are to be foiled by our cast of heroes who all have humble origins in traditional fighting styles.

Honorable Idealism vs Brutal Reality

Hagakure is about swordsmen, and swordsmanship in feudal Japan was about discipline and honor. Swords are being replaced by guns -- a tool that lacks a tradition, a need for training, whose removed, indiscriminate nature of combat goes against any need for honor. Much in the same way that tradition is being brushed aside for industry's sake, the world should have many examples of unpleasant realities trumping ideals. Travelling samurai are very rarely warriors in shining armor. The Imperial Army, for all their golden trappings, is not the fair and transparent military body they claim to be. This is a world where the strong have beaten down the weak throughout all of history, whose idea of strength is now transitioning towards having access to firearms and technology or not.