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| Dawn of the Empire: Voice of the Heavens | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 16 2017, 04:14 PM (31 Views) | |
| Leila | Jan 16 2017, 04:14 PM Post #1 |
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The Gamemistress
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Otomo raised his head and watched the group on the hilltop. He was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, but his shrewd mind was working on overtime almost in spite of itself. The fire had gone out, but the tall, majestic figures still dwarfed The Seppun. She seemed to be talking to them, bowing everytime one of them spoke and holding the bow when they spoke among themselves. There was only starlight to illuminate the scene and they were too far away for the night air to carry their words to the assembled tribe below. There was no moon, which was the most unnerving to Otomo. Why had the moon gone out just before the fiery stars fell to earth? Finally, The Seppun turned and led the way down the hill, her husband walking at his side. The tall figures followed her. When she came into the firelight, her face was white. "My people!" She proclaimed. "Finally, just as we asked for guidance from the Great Ones... the Great Ones have come. They will lead us. They are our new masters." There was muttering, shocked and weary. "We are honored to serve the Great Ones!" The Seppun proclaimed. "It is right that we serve them and teach them about our world." One of them, a proud man and strong, rested his hand on the hilt of the great knife at his waist. A beautiful woman placed her hand briefly on his wrist. "It is only natural that such mortals should doubt and fear," She murmured in a voice lovely and clear. Raising her voice that it would drift across the entire crowd, she said, "We do not come to conquer and enslave. We come to live among you. We are the O-kami, the children of the sun and moon. We have fallen long and far to come here. We wish only rice and tea and a pillow to rest our heads." There was some more muttering, and some women rose to return to the fires. The Seppun glared at some of them, but she seemed to have no idea of where to go from here. Slowly, Otomo rose to his knees. "Great Ones, fallen from the heavens. Can this lowly one speak?" "It speaks well," One of the men, tall and dark said, his maple-red lips startling against his pale face. "I say, let the mortal speak." "It would be kind to forgive us," Otomo said, and an apologetic smile crossed his own lips. "We are tired, we are confused. Every family among us today has lost brothers and sons to our enemies. And then the very stars fall from heaven. We are afraid. We wish reassurance amidst the terror and sorrow we feel. The Seppun prayed for guidance from the Great Ones. The rest of us pray for food, for safety, for our dead." He lifted his chin. "It is only the way of mortals that some here are afraid of trickery from our enemies, that doubt that the Great Ones, who have never shown themselves among us before, can have come at such a... momentous time." The proud one gripped the blade of his great knife even more tightly. A second man, tall and dark, nearly identical to the first save only that he wore red glowing garments rather than black nodded slowly. "We can believe such weakness. Who has not felt it among mortals?" "He dares to question us! Us! A mere mortal!" The proud one spat. "And Kodo, would you not? If strangers came among us after a battle and demanded sustenance? Spare him for his honesty, if nothing else. Mortal man, are you a leader among mortal men?" "He is an artisan, not a warrior," One of the other men of the tribe spat. "He is a coward who works with his hands rather than fighting our enemies!" Otomo, used to the abuse, kept his face even and steady. "I am one who has courage to say what others do not." He said, his voice even. The Seppun stepped hurriedly forward. "I depend on Otomo's advice, oh Great Ones!" She said. "He is perceptive and sees the hearts of men. And he is no coward. He has a twisted foot, and bright lights bring on fits. That is why he does not fight!" "She defends him as she would her own man," One of the tribe women. "This woman, Seppun, is a servant of the gods. If she speaks for this man, I accept him." One of the other Great Ones spoke now, his hair gathered in a bun behind and his forehead shaved in front. He spoke with an absolute authority that took Otomo aback for a moment. No one used such commanding language, and his quiet voice was a strange contrast to the words he used. "I will take this man into my service and he will tell me the hearts of mortals. Any who calls him a coward will answer to the strength of my blade." He drew that immense blade, and the crowd fell silent again, eyeing the naked steel in his hand. "What is your name, mortal man?" "I am called Otomo." He answered, and for the first time, he bowed. "Do you accept me as your lord and protector, Otomo?" He hesitated. Then, all eyes on him, he rose to his feet and bowed like a warrior, his bad leg twisting horribly beneath him. "I will serve you to the best of my ability, my lord." The large, calm man slipped the large blade back into his wide cloth belt. He drew a shorter blade from beside the first and offered it to Otomo on both palms. A decorative wooden cover hid the blade from view. "Then accept this wakizashi as a symbol of my authority, and the authority you are given above men through me. Serve me well, Otomo, second of my mortal servants." "Thank you, my lord." Otomo said and took the blade. Not knowing what else to do, he shoved it through his own rope belt and bowed again, the pain of his twisted leg almost beyond compare. There was silence in the clearing, as no one seemed to know what to do. Then women scurried forward with bowls of wild rice and others followed with a tea brewed from healing herbs. They passed them among the Great Ones, who tasted and invariably made faces. "We have much work to do here, it seems," The beautiful Great One said with a sigh. The calm Great One spoke again. "Go, mortals. Follow Seppun in the rituals to bring your dead to the judgment of Emma-O. My servant Otomo- sit beside me and tell me of the tribes of mortals. I will need your judgment." Otomo limped across the clearing as the Great One seated himself on a rock beside the fire. The other Great Ones followed suit. Seeing the fire gleam on their blades, their metal body coverings, and the very cloth they wore, he swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. "Very well, oh Great Ones. To the north is the tribe of Izawa, a proud man who would be sorcerer-king. He can compel the spirits to obey him and uses the blood of his followers to anchor the spirits to the rituals he weaves..." Edited by Leila, Nov 29 2017, 11:49 AM.
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| Leila | Jan 23 2017, 12:15 PM Post #2 |
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The Gamemistress
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It had gotten late, and Otomo was growing weary. These Great Ones- or O-kami as they called themselves- seemed not to tire as they continued to ask question after question of him and to talk among themselves. The metal plate where the blade met the hilt on his new wakizashi was digging into his ribs. Long ago, the wailing had ceased as the rest of the tribe mourned their dead and returned to their tents. Still Otomo sat, his leg at least stretched out in front of him so that that there was no discomfort from that angle. He struggled to pay attention as his eyes fought to close. "What is this sensation?" The beautiful Great One- Doji, he had learned her name was- said, and she placed her hands over her lips. "Excuse me! I don't know how I could possibly be so rude!" "It's odd," Hayashi agreed. "I have the strangest wish to lay down and close my eyes." "Do the Gre- O-kami not sleep in the heavens?" Otomo asked in amazement. "Sleep?" Kodo leaned forward, his eyes intense. "Explain, mortal." Otomo felt a rush of resentment again. Hantei, his new master, and some of the others were perfectly willing to call him by his name, but this brother of his master's insisted on referring to him simply as 'mortal'. He forced himself to breathe deeply and not yawn in Kodo's face. "Tiredness. At the end of day, when the Gre- O-kami of the moon rises in the east, mortals lay down and close their eyes. In this way, our bodies and minds rest and recover. We see visions when we sleep, memories and things we have never imagined, but when we awake we are ready to work for another day." "Isn't it dangerous?" Shinjo asked with interest. She, too, covered her lips, hiding her yawn. "Yes," Kodo agreed. "At such a time, one's enemies could come upon him unawares, while he was vulnerable. I don't like this." "Visions, memories, and fantasies?" Shiba asked, his voice thoughtful. "Brothers, sisters... does not this sound remarkably like the realm of Yume-do? Do mortals visit Yume-do when they do this action of 'sleep'?" "But... why do we feel tiredness?" Doji asked. "We're not mortal." "We are now," Togashi spoke now for the first time. He actually startled Otomo, who sat forward, suddenly alert again. "The moment we set foot in this new realm, it claimed us and we became of its substance. The longer we stay here, the more mortal we become." "We must instantly find our way home to our mother's realm!" Kodo shouted, rising precipitously to his feet and drawing his blade, more from habit it seemed than any intent to use it. "We cannot. We are lord and master here, now." Togashi said, his voice still calm. "I have forseen it." "Impossible." Kodo's nostrils flared with anger and he glared at his brother. "Shiba, use your learning! Cast a spell and..." "Even all of Shiba's learning cannot save us now," Shiba said dryly. "Kodo, be reasonable. You are asking me to not only transport myself, but our sisters, Hayashi, Togashi, Hantei, Hida, and yourself across the borders of the spirit realms when we have already taken on the Taint of this realm. We have no crystal, no protection... we might wind up anywhere." "My lord Hantei," Otomo said into the quiet as Kodo flexed his hand on his drawn blade. "You gave me this weapon, this wakizashi, as a sign that I was your servant. Our tribe's Seppun swore herself and her husband to you before you accepted me. Why would you do such a thing if you intended to leave us? Our enemies are in the darkness somewhere, among their own tribe, celebrating their victory over us. They do not wipe us out tonight because they are cautious- they, too, will have seen the stars fall and wonder at their meaning. Will you abandon us?" Hantei looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "I believe Shiba when he says he cannot do such a thing. We shall have to find another way to return to our home. In the meantime, I have a responsibility to this man, and to that woman, and to their tribe. We shall drive off their enemies... and then we must part. We cannot show partiality to only one tribe of mortals. We must explore this land in ningen-do, and determine if we can get home." "When we leave, we can leave it better than we found it, at least," Doji agreed. "I will remain among them, to teach them to grow rice, build homes, and weave cloth." Slowly, the others agreed. "If we must indeed sleep now that we are in the mortal realm, let Togashi stand guard over us." Kodo said, his voice somewhat snide. "He has meditated long and cannot be as tired as the rest of us." "I will as well," Hida rumbled in his low voice. "I fear nothing in this realm, but I will protect my brothers and sisters while they sleep. Kodo can watch while I sleep later." "Then in the morning, after we have rested, you and I shall depart this place, Otomo, and we shall take the Seppun and her husband with us." Hantei decreed. Otomo bowed, hiding his dismay. He would only slow his master, and he knew he would become a burden. He would be cast aside, far from the tribe. He would be unable to save himself and he would die. That would be his reward for teaching these O-kami. But surely the Seppun would not allow that. Surely, when the O-kami became disgusted with the slowness of his twisted leg, she would make sure that he at least was sponsored into another tribe, and Otomo could make himself useful again. The Seppun was compassionate. He need not worry. Trying to convince himself thus, he led the O-kami to his tent and permitted them to lay down within. Then, painfully, he stretched out before the tent flap and fell at once to sleep. Edited by Leila, Nov 29 2017, 06:27 PM.
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| Leila | Nov 29 2017, 11:49 AM Post #3 |
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The Gamemistress
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The attack came at dawn. Not content with the damage they had wrought yesterday, fearing the strange lights that had fallen from the sky, the followers of their enemy warlord had spent the night whipping themselves into a frenzy. Now, screaming threats and battlecries, without even the usual bragging and taunts that usually presaged a battle, the tribe to the west poured into the village, intent on wiping out the battered followers of The Seppun once and for all. Screams rang from tents as they burned, and exhausted men tried to get out of the tent flaps, waving their spears and trying to keep their women and children behind them, away from both flame and sword. Otomo struggled to his feet, desperately trying to get his twisted leg to support him. He found his balance, and drew his wakizashi, pointing it at the oncoming warriors, knowing it was hopeless, but perhaps he could give the O-kami time to make a hole in the back of the tent and escape. Kodo shoved roughly past him, and Otomo went sprawling into the mud by the side of the tent. "You face the gods today, mortal!" He shouted, his voice gleeful. "I am Kodo, the Son of Amaterasu, and I will show you the folly of standing before my sword!" He was closely followed by Hida, who gave a roar that shook the ground as he guarded Kodo's left. "Kodo! A care for my servant!" Hantei's voice shouted, and it seemed as if there were true anger in his voice. A strong, calloused hand closed on Otomo's shoulder, lifting him from the mud and holding him until he had his weight distributed. As soon as Otomo could stand on his own, Hantei dropped his hand and drew his sword, falling into position on Kodo's right. "Is he hurt?" A woman asked anxiously, and Otomo looked up to behold Shinjo looking at him, rocking on her heels as she looked back and forth between the battle and the humiliated man. "Are you hurt, Otomo-san?" The beautiful Doji asked him directly, and he was simultaneously more embarrassed and soothed by her concern. He flushed at the use of such respectful language for a cripple from such a magnificent creature. "Honored ladies, I have taken no damage," Otomo said and bowed. "Please allow this awkward one to do what he can to protect you from these raiders." He was extremely pleased to note that he had at least not dropped his weapon- that would have made his humiliation complete. "Rather, we will be honored to protect you," Doji answered with a smile. Shinjo also flashed him a quick, distracted smile and charged ahead to join her brothers with a high-pitched cry like a striking hawk. She, too, held a sword. Doji was heading towards a group of young women besieged by leering bandits, her hand held above her sword, but not yet drawing it. At some point, they had been passed by the handsome Hayashi, who was viciously hamstringing his opponents or severing the muscles in their arms and leaving them alive to scream in the dirt. Shiba was arguably the most incredible to watch. He stood in one place, directing wind to blow sand to blind a group of warriors here, directing water from the river to put out fires around the village, and pulling the fires he had left to burn distant opponents who threatened his sisters. When a bandit was unwise enough to get too close ("stop the sorcerer!"), Shiba cut him down in a single blow from his sword. "You are not worthless," a voice said from beside Otomo, making him stagger with surprise. Togashi opened his eyes and stood up, stretching, from where he sat cross-legged beside the tent. "Each of us serves Heaven in our own way. A man with a twisted leg is worth no less in the eyes of my mother than Kodo, provided he makes use of what he has. Some misdeed in a past life has placed you in a less-than-perfect body. Now you must use your wit and your tongue to fulfill your duty to Heaven, and in your next life, you may again be strong and beautiful and proud. And even then... your body is not the enemy you believe it to be." He picked up a long, stout tent pole from the ground and walked towards the melee, wading about him with his make-shift staff. Terrible cracks and howls accompanied him. Otomo grimaced and limped forward, his eyes on the gleaming back of Hantei's robes. Regardless of what the half-naked O-kami said, Otomo had sworn an oath to serve Hantei-okami last night and serve he would. Knowing fully well that he was on his way to die, Otomo limped forward to meet his fate. He watched the swings of the warriors, he watched the ways in which Hantei flexed his arms as he struck. His mind drifted clear of his body, focusing only on one destination- Hantei's side. A shout from his right distracted him. Otomo twisted his body, and swung with a wide, single sweep as he had seen Doji do and cut the man down with a single strike. He gaped at the body for a moment, and then saw movement directly in front of him. He brought the sword straight up with both hands and chopped downward through the bandit's shoulder at an angle as Kodo did, and then immediately brought the sword around in a double-handed strike to the torso of a third. He pulled the wakizashi out of the third man's body, looked down at the three men he had killed purely on instinct, and vomited. He fell, retching, beside the three men on his hands and knees. He was sick for several long moments, and then wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his robe, shaking. He looked up to see that it was over. The O-kami were wiping off the steel of their blades. The men were cheering wildly and shouting, while the women had begun to weep over their dead or to creep along, using short knives to finish off the men Hayashi had injured and left to die. The bragging started. "I, Jun, have killed four of the enemy!" Otomo pulled himself to his good leg, using his bad leg to balance as he always did. He mimicked the Okami, wiping the blade of his wakizashi on the the robe of one of the raiders. In a moment's pause in the shouting, he projected his voice across the village, "I, Otomo the cripple, have killed three of these vermin in the name of my O-kami, Hantei!" Silence fell. Warriors strained to look. A few disbelieving murmurs circled around him, but the evidence was visible right there. "He is indeed worthy of being my samurai," Hantei said to Kodo, who gave a short, sharp nod. "Come, Otomo-san, and put your voice to work for me." It was then that Otomo saw the circle of beaten warriors who were surrounded by the O-kami. Several of the raiders had been captured alive. He looked at them for several seconds, pondering his word choice, and then settled on a decision. He cast his face into a lofty expression, as if he looked upon a child who had been misbehaving all morning and fretting its mother. His voice took on an arrogant cast, and he tried to disguise his limp as best as he could. "You miserable worms have assaulted the people who are under the protection of the mighty O-kami of Heaven. Though it is not possible for apprentice mud-grubbers like yourselves, you have attempted to do harm to the persons of the Gods. They have punished you, but have seen fit to spare your worthless lives. What possible use can such as you have now?" They looked shocked as they beheld the figure of the crippled artisan standing before them, vomit on his sleeve and blood spattered on his face and torso. That he had the gall to address them so seemed almost incredible, but Otomo looked down his nose at them and folded his hands inside his sleeves, consciously mimicking Hayashi's pose. One proud warrior started to stand. "How dare you-" "How dare you raise your voice when the fires of the mighty O-kami Shiba or the unstoppable blade of the mighty O-kami Hantei might have you lying dead beside your fellow bandits this moment?" Otomo interrupted him, his voice roaring like thunder. "I am the Voice of Heaven; I speak to you so that the gods do not need to sully themselves with your filth." The man visibly flinched back, gaping at the strangely imposing figure Otomo now cut. "You will return to your encampment under the guard of our mighty warriors, and you will bring your women and children back with you. Your entire tribe are now the servants of the Tribe of The Seppun. You will work- you will build and you will hunt to restore what you have destroyed. You will worship the Heavens as the honored Seppun teaches you to worship. You will not kill or die any longer, save at the orders of the O-kami. You have your lives- that is enough for worms such as you. You have the permission of the Heavens to live." He stepped back. One of their men bowed, and then soon all of them were on their knees bowing. "Husband," The Seppun said in a low voice to her husband, who stood protectively beside her, her tone formal. "I believe you should gather the warriors to escort these men back. I will do what I must here." The warrior nodded and strode off, calling orders. Otomo, his work complete, turned his back on the captured men- soon to be members of his own tribe- and looked around. Shinjo was holding a bucket of water for Doji, who was seeing to the injured alongside the village herb-women. Hida was calling for food and stumping back in the direction of Otomo's tent. Togashi had returned to sitting cross-legged beside the tent, his eyes closed as if in sleep. Shiba was following The Seppun, engaging her in conversation. His hands moved quickly as he spoke, in some sort of mystical gestures. Hayashi was leaning casually against an unburnt tent, his eyes following the movements of almost everyone in the village. Kodo and Hantei were watching Otomo closely. "Were my words pleasing to the ear of the mighty O-kami?" Otomo asked, his voice suffused now with humility rather than the arrogance with which he had addressed the captured raiders. "A worthy samurai indeed," Hantei said, and his praise filled his servant with gladness. Edited by Leila, Nov 29 2017, 06:28 PM.
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| Leila | May 28 2018, 11:39 AM Post #4 |
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The Gamemistress
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The O-kami Hantei was eager to leave after that engagement, despite Otomo's proclamation that the new members of their tribe would learn to worship 'as The Seppun' taught them. "I will not go out into this world without my servants!" Hantei said more firmly than reasonably. "My brothers Shiba and Togashi have the temperament of teachers in any case and would do well at teaching the ways of the kami to any who have the potential to become shugenja." "Shugenja, Honored One?" Otomo asked in confusion, glancing at The Seppun, who shrugged. "Those who follow the Way; Shugendo." Hantei answered impatiently. Otomo assumed that was an explanation of sorts, but now didn't seem to be the time to ask their annoyed lord for clarification. As Otomo had feared, when the O-kami set out with his three servents, they were bound to Otomo's limping gait. With the aid of his walking stick, he forced himself to move much faster than normal, but he could also see how much more quickly they would have moved without him. His face burned with shame, even as sweat poured down his back. It seemed like forever before they came to a small stream with some cover. Otomo's leg twisted below him and he fell to his knees, drinking greedily and washing pain-sweat from his face. "Here," The Seppun said, kneeling beside him in the mud. "Let me try something the O-kami Shiba showed me last night. I think he may have had you in mind." She took her small eating knife and cut one of the thin blankets Otomo had carried on his back into long, thin strips. Taking the cloth, she bound his leg firmly from ankle to thigh, forcing the twisted bone and muscle to lie straight. Then she filled her straw hat with water from the stream, pouring it over the binding. Otomo stared up at the patterns the leaves made against the sky, biting his lip. He felt light-headed and clammy now. Am I a child, to scream at a bee sting? He asked himself with disgust, forcing himself to stay silent. "Sorry, sorry," The Seppun whispered distractedly. "I really think this will work." She closed her eyes and set her hands over the binding. Slowly, she began to chant a prayer, but it wasn't to any of the Heavenly Beings that Otomo knew. Instead, she asked the spirits of the stream to wash away Otomo's pain, strengthen his weak leg, and show him the Path to the Peace that Lay Within, where all healing grew. "Very good," Hantei praised her when she finished the prayer. "You will have to study the voices of the mikokami on your own, I fear. My soul is not quiet enough to follow the Way." Seppun's husband clasped Otomo's elbow and levered him to his feet. Otomo wobbled as he always did, then found his balance. He stopped, puzzled, and stamped his foot. His weak leg held. "It will grow stronger as you exercise it," Hantei said. "Come. Let us be on our way." |
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8:03 PM Jul 10