*shadow Ninja*

Haru sits down, and upon mentioning the issue of the name, stiffens his grip on his staff. Relaxing a little, seemingly slightly more laid-back than usual, and takes out some papers, speaking nonchalantly as he does so. "Of course that's out of the question, you know we discussed this last time we met and keeping your clan name is preposterous, the Council would never allow such a thing. Now, if that's out of the way, let me jog your memory on the deal. We agreed that we would take your clan in if you followed our rules, ditched the name, and, of course, if your sister Felicita would marry one of the Council members of our choosing, to create a blood tie between the village. Now, if this is all you needed to discuss, let's get on with signing the agreement. Unless, of course, you're backing out?"
He stands, still holding onto the paper, waiting for an answer, and though you can't see much under his robe, you could almost feel as if he was smirking under there.

 

Spoiler: Shizukesa

Name: Shizukesa Serenus

Age: 26

Sex & Gender: Female

Personality: Calm, gentle and friendly. However, insults are not beneath her.

Short Background about the character: Growing up in far eastern lands, she trained as a guardian for the temple. Her skills impressed the queen during an attempted assassination on the queen's life when she visited the temple. Shizukesa managed to prevent the assassination, without killing the assassin. For a time, she was with the queen's guard.
After meeting an unwilling Cinder and defeating him in a duel of blades, the two traveled together some time before a relationship developed between them. After a confrontation involving Cinder's disassociation with the Burning Cross faction he was bound to, they completed their mission and Shizukesa resigned from the queen's guard, receiving a substantial amount of gold as a parting gift from the queen. They were married soon after, and have traveled far to other lands after adopting a new family name, beginning the realization of a prophecy she made. The young couple has decided to settle down in a quiet, comfortable forest community in hopes of living life together in hopes of having a family.

Appearance: Black haired, fair, smooth skin, and electric blue eyes. She tends to adorn her shapely, feminine body with blue clothes, normally eastern robes. She is 5'-11", tall for a woman in her home country.

Ninja Clan: White Lion Clan

Weapons: Still Waters (nodachi), Gentle Ripple (wakizashi), and the capability to manipulate water and see the future

Spoiler: Cinder

Name: Cinder Serenus

Age: 24

Sex & Gender: Male

Personality: Superior, lawful, judgmental, a follower of the old traditions and morals.

Short Background about the character: A man of integrity, with a holy mission to purge crime and lawlessness. Having grown up as a member of the Burning Cross faction, his skills as a one-man judge, jury and executioner were employed for use to his former nation to bring swift and rapid justice on the spot, diffusing volatile situations.
After meeting an insistent Shizukesa and losing to her in a duel of blades, the two traveled together some time before a relationship developed between them. Thanks to his relationship with Shizukesa, his personality has become more mellow and more tolerant of others over time. A confrontation involving Cinder's disassociation with the Burning Cross ultimately resulted in the total decimation of the faction, freeing him from the control of the secretly, deeply corrupt organization. After completing the mission Cinder had agreed to join Shizukesa on, Cinder left his former nation, claiming the gold that was once owned by the Burning Cross. They were married soon after, and have traveled far to other lands after adopting a new family name, abandoning Cinder's old surname of Cross-Shatter. He realized this was the truly the beginning of Shizukesa's prophecy to him. The young couple has decided to settle down in a quiet, comfortable forest community in hopes of living life together in hopes of having a family.

Appearance: Red long coat, and black pants. A heart plate (a ceremonial chest plate large enough to protect only the heart) and braces under the sleeves are the only articles of armor he wears. His hair silver, eyes red like the blood of the executed. His beige skin is scarred by whippings, beatings and slashes. He is 6', a fairly average for a male of his home country

Ninja Clan: White Lion Clan

Weapons: Purgatory Soul (rapier), Judgment Fall (Executioner's sword). The rapier is capable of flaming, while the executioner's sword takes the life force of the victim.

A man and woman stood in the open doorway of a vacant cottage. The stagnant scent of an old dusty home filled the room. Though darkened by curtains left behind by the previous occupants, the entry room was clearly empty. No furniture or old rugs were to be seen. The man stepped in as the woman remained in the doorway, her blue dress swaying from the gentle, warm breeze. The layer of dust stirred, disturbed by the man's slow strides and the breeze coming through the doorway. The man spread the curtains of the nearest window, and sunlight poured in, illuminating particles of dust. He opened the window, and fresh air flowed into the room gently. Walking throughout the home, the man opened more windows, allowing to the outdoor air to circulate through the home, slowly purging the aged scent. While the man opened windows, the woman quietly stepped into the home, surveying the rooms and considering the possibilities for the decorations and furnishings.
"What do you think of the place?"
The man had finished the last window, and took his place next to the woman.
"This house has the potential to be a comfortable home."
"Good thing you can tell, anywhere dry seems like a nice place to me. But a woman would know better than me for what it takes to have a good home."
A soft smile formed on her face.
"You flatter me, not that I dislike it."
"Let's step outside for now and give the house time to air out."
The two stepped outdoors. Outside, trees in the early stages of spring surrounded them. Hither and thither were other homes amongst the trees, connected by dirt pathways to a dirt road. In the background, birds chirped and twittered their songs as wind swayed the branches of the trees.
"The house will need to be cleaned before we put anything in there. Too much dust for me."
"Indeed. Let's tell the seller we will except this as our new home, and then we can move onto furnishing it."
The two of them picked up their baggage they had left next to the outside of the door and began walking down the dirt path. The dust of the path crunched slightly as they returned to the seller of the home. As they walked, they talked.
"Shizukesa, I never pictured myself aligning myself to work for a ninja clan, being quiet and unnoticed isn't really my style."
"I am certain the White Lion clan will be able to find a role for even someone as noisy as you, Cinder. Truthfully, I do not think I fit the typical role of a ninja clan member. In fact, we are quite similar in how we approach opposition, save the fact that you put on a more aggressive show."
"Right. Instead, you choose to calmly humiliate and goad the opposition."
Cinder remembered back when they first met, and the deal he had rashly made, thinking that he would be victorious. Instead, he was humiliated by her using a short blade to keep him on the defensive. She finally forced him to submit to her by seemingly pulling a long-bladed sword from nowhere and using it to cut his battle mask off in a single strike. Months later, he had realized that day was the beginning of a new life for him in many ways.
"I can't tell you enough how grateful I am to have you in my life."
She her face reddened slightly and sheepishly looked away.
"Wha-? No, please stop. It makes me happy to hear that, but it makes me blush as well."
Cinder smiled, amused by her reaction. Most of the time, she is calm and unflinching, but heartfelt praise from someone she valued would cause her to feel shyness.

 

Haru keeps his papers, slowly steps back and grabs his staff. "Damn, you're good at keeping your composure, at the very least. Let me give it to you straight. You're clearly very good a disguising yourself, but you gave yourself away. I'm guessing you're Felicita, because you asked about keeping the Nagasaki name, and of course you have the same colour of hair. If you wanted to complete the disguise, you should've probed for more information about our previous meeting.
For educational purposes, I'll tell you that you gave yourself away by first of all, asking about the Nagasaki name, something I and Kaname talked about at length yesterday, and the fact that you so adamantly denied the marriage, while your Kaname was extremely cooperative yesterday. At most, he would've asked to renegotiate the terms, not outright denied it. Now, that may not be completely incriminating, but I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to this sort of thing.
So, would you like to renegotiate the terms completely, or would you like to take a look at what he negotiated with me? After all, I'm here to make a deal, so if there's a change in power, I don't really care who signs, as long as it is signed."
Haru holds out the paper, staff in hand, offering it to Felicita.
OOC: Eh, I suppose I can join the server. I did before, but I often just lurk on those, so I left. Gonna need a new invite, though

 

Red stood perfectly still with a blank expression on his face as his eyes drifted upwards and stayed there for a while, such was the look he had as an idea (very slowly) formed in his mind. A wide smile crossed his lips as he finally had his eureka moment. Anyone with half a brain knew that this was going to be terrible, but unfortunately, the two drunkards clearly didn't have half a brain left between them.
"I've got it!"
He looked back down to Leo.
"Alright, alright. Alright. Hold on. Yeah, okay, I got it again. So! Here's what we're gonna do.
He hurriedly points back towards the stable, almost stumbling from the quickness of the movement.
"So, I've got a horse, right? But, like...the saddle only fits one person. So, uh, here's what we do! We need a kite."
He stretched out his arms as wide as they'll go.
"But, like, a...BIG kite! And we tie it to the horse, and, like...you'll be, uh...RIDING that kite! And the horse'll be pullin' ya. See what I'm saying?"
He started making exaggerated gestures, trying to explain what, exactly, he meant.
"So, you know, the horse'll be goin' fast and you'll be all up in the air 'n' shit. See what I mean? It's great! And, uh, I'll be riding the horse to steer it and stuff."
He looked directly into Leo's eyes with the confidence of a man who had just presented the greatest idea ever conceived by mere mortals.
"So whaddya think?"


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Alkelda stands up and moves to the center of the room, where a map of the entire continent is laid out on a table. Theodoric soon stands as well, making his way to the map. Alkelda points to different places on the map as she speaks, showing the exact location of each event.
"I took a small force of scouts to the edge of the continent as you ordered, my lord. Along the way, we checked some of the outlying towns to see if there was any suspicious activity. If there were any enemies in the area, we didn't see them, and we checked very thoroughly."
"I thought as much. They would not make their presence known so easily."
"We made our way towards the border closest to Eirgaror, and once we arrived, we started checking for anything that might make for a suitable base of operations, just as you instructed."
"I take it you made quite the discovery."
"Not at first, but then...we searched an abandoned castle here, deep in the mountains. Nobody was there when we arrived, but despite its worn-down condition, it had clearly been used recently. There were tents, blocks of wood for a fire, and a small cache of supplies tucked away in one of the rooms. Right after we found that cache, one of our scouts called back that a group of what appeared to be soldiers were making their way towards us."
"And you're sure they came from Eirgaror?"
"Yes, my lord."
To prove her statement, Alkelda pulled out a small insignia that was hastily torn from the garment of its original owner. Theodoric's eyes widened, then he hung his head and let out a heavy sigh.
"Indeed, there is no denying its origin."
"We wanted to escape without being noticed, but the enemy spotted us and called for reinforcements. Once that happened, we gave up on stealth and focused on a hasty retreat, quickly cutting down anyone who tried to stop us; I cut that insignia from one of the enemy scouts on our way out. We managed to flee without taking any losses."
"I am glad to hear it, especially in the midst of such ill news."
"After our escape, we made our way back here with all haste, and nothing else of note occurred. That concludes my report, my lord...I am sorry the news is so grave."
Theodoric went back to his throne and sat down, a grim expression clouding his normally serene demeanor. Even so, he spoke gently as he addressed his subordinate.
"You have nothing to apologize for. Rather, I am grateful that you were successful in your mission, or we might have had calamity on our doorstep and not known it. That being the case, our people are all the better for your report, not worse."
"I...hadn't thought of it that way. Thank you, my lord."


OOT: To be continued in the next post.

 

"Well, being right is gratifying, but problematic. However, I think it'll be fine, as you would probably count as a proxy leader in the eyes of the Council if they found out, IF they found out, that is. I'll let you sign for him, but if this goes sideways, then I probably won't help you unless circumstances let me, because this sounds like it could turn into a problem. The point is, the deal will still be beneficial to both of us, the only difference is the person who's signing it.
Well, at any rate, here are the current terms, if my memory serves. The Nagasaki will join the Order, and you get to keep your name, but that's it. That doesn't mean you'll have special privileges, at least for the moment, and you still count as a part of the Order of the Blue Robes, not your own special clan, so you'll have to follow the will of the Council, and you yourself don't currently have any power, but the Council would act in your best interests as a general part of the Order. Some of these details might change over time, like you may gain a representative in the council, but that's a really big maybe for the moment. So, are you ready to sign, or are you backing out? Because either way, I've got to get home after this, as it's been a while since I've been to the village."
He puts down the paper on the desk, and flips it around to Felicita.
OOT: It was kinda hard to decide which choice my character would go with, though I think it would be more like my character to let the deal go through, so I chose that one. We'll see how things go, at any rate.

 

Leo pondered for a few moments as to what they would do to get a kite, or if it was even a viable option. Sadly those moments were only seconds, Leo stood himself up stumbling from just switching from sitting to standing upon standing he stumbled backwards and regained balance.

“Red you’re a genius! I always wanted to fly it’s been my dream since childhood! Where can we find a kite though? I haven’t seen one in ages.” Leo started to look around the stable frantically in search of a kite, while Red got himself a saddle. After mere minutes of searching Leo had either found a giant kite or made one himself from the hay bales. Either way, it was a terrible mess and it couldn’t possibly do what they wanted.

Making his way back to Red he had this smug confidence about him that he believed it was going to work. “I’m ready, Red! Let’s show these cannibal bears who the real bosses are!”

 

Red had a look of surprise when Leo came back with what was-- in his mind, at least-- a fully-functioning kite. He smiled and gave Leo a big thumbs-up.
"Hey, that's perfect! What are we waiting for, let's get it tied up so we can go kick some cannibal ass!"
Taking some nearby rope, he worked with Leo to tie one side to his horse's saddle and the other side to the kite. When everything was secure-- or at least as secure as it was going to get in their condition-- Red hopped on his horse and called out to Leo.
"Yeehaw, horsey! Let's go get us some cannabis! Wait, no...cannon balls? Cannibals, that's it! Giddy-up!"
He spurred his horse on, blissfully unaware of the complete disaster that was about to take place.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Theodoric crossed his arms, his eyes staring blankly forward as he retreated into his own mind. He leaned back, letting his eyes drift to the ceiling as he started to think out loud.
"To think, my father sacrificed everything so that the Alamannia Alliance would never darken our doorstep again. We were meant to be free of them. We had all hoped that we would never have to speak of them again...but it seems this was not meant to be. Their hunger drives them across the world even now, as they look for new lands to dominate and devour. No doubt their Blood Reaver army will fall upon this land quickly, consuming all in their path and annihilating the unprepared in mere moments. Such fell deeds must not come to pass. This land is our home, and the people here are our people as well, so long as we share this sacred realm in peace. They must be warned; they must be prepared to fight. Then, when the time comes for battle, we will stand at their side to defend our homeland."
"My lord, when the time comes for battle, I will gladly fight by your side. No matter the odds, and no matter the cost."
As his gloomy demeanor started to fade, a slight smile crossed Theodoric's lips as he nodded to Alkelda.
"I know you will. And for that, you have my gratitude. Come, I will share with you what our first move will be."
"Yes, my lord!"

Theodoric approached the table again, his eyes darting to various places on the map. Then he started to point to a few place in particular, explaining his thoughts as he went along.
"Obviously, above all else, the emperor must be made aware of the situation. We will send a missive to the capital right away, explaining the situation. However, we must consider the possibility that the emperor's forces will not be able to assemble before the Alamannians invade. That is assuming, of course, that the emperor believes us in the first place, which we cannot know for certain. That being the case, we will build up our own forces in the meantime. We must convince the other ninja clans of the severity of this situation so that we might form an alliance of our own."
"But my lord, what if the other ninja clans refuse to join forces?"
"Then we will fight. And we will certainly die. If we gathered every single warrior here in Shiroyama Forest, and even went so far as to forcibly recruit every able-bodied person in our clan to teach them the way of the sword, we would still be hopelessly outnumbered. One clan alone cannot stem the tide that approaches."
"I see...then what are you proposing, exactly?"
"We go to each of the nearby clans and make our case heard. I will travel to the Nagasaki clan personally; their leader is an old friend of mine and I feel confident that he will support our cause. In the meantime, Alkelda, you will need to meet with the Blue Robe clan. They may be...difficult to negotiate with, but their support would be very valuable in the upcoming war. Following that, I would like you to secure the services of the Midnight Locust if possible. They will not fight a large scale war, however, they might be convinced to assassinate individual high-value targets for us, which would throw the enemy into confusion."
"I understand. It will be done, my lord."
"Oh, but before you leave, I would like you to investigate certain rumors that have crossed my path. They say that a young couple has settled down in our lands recently, and that these two are highly-skilled warriors from a faraway land. If there is any merit to these claims, perhaps we can convince them to aid us. If they have tired of warfare, we would never force them back into it, but perhaps they would be interesting in teaching others their ways."
"Of course, my lord. I will investigate these rumors right away. Will that be all?"
"Not quite. Considering how much traveling will be involved with this mission, I am assigning one of my strongest warriors to act as your escort."
"And who would that be, my lord?"


OOT: To be continued...again!

 

"I'd love to grab a bite to eat, but I've got some urgent business, and my way of getting back is... faster than usual. Also, if you want to discuss details before you come to join us, send over a delegate or come yourself, if you like. The Council is very big on security, they don't like moving all at once unless they're at home." Haru briskly walks out of the tent, grabs some goggles out of some hidden pocket, puts them on, then concentrates. In a few seconds, he begins ascending, as if pulled up by some invisible force.
After accelerating quite a bit, he reaches the tops of the clouds, orients himself towards his chosen direction, and now is being pulled toward his mountain home, as well as a slight bit up. Before, he didn't have enough time, but now he's accelerating at an extreme rate, so much so that he pulls down his hood and puts his hands in his sleeves, carefully checking the distance from the mountain and himself, occasionally falling here and there after he rises too much.
After several hours, he is getting close, and then he begins decelerating at fairly good pace. Soon after, he stops moving horizontally, and is simply free falling. Then, Haru pulls on a hidden catch in his robes, and stretches out a wingsuit. Reaching close to the ground while gliding, he is pulled up a bit, then he finally hits the ground running, returning to normal. Haru then walks to the ninja village, taking about an half an hour.
Welcomed by the village, he immediately goes home, entering a secret tunnel to the Council meeting. Putting on a black obsidian mask as he travels, he arrives to the room and sits in the seventh chair, with six other chairs filled around the table.
"I've managed to make the deal with the Nagasaki. They want special name rights, but they don't get any special power with it, it seemed to be a mostly sentimental reason. We should probably discuss the details of what we want, along with any paperwork, as they may send someone to negotiate the finer details, such as whether or not their ninja need to take the Test. But, anyways, first on the agenda is..."
The meeting continues on for a while.

OOC: Well, I may have just defied the laws of physics there beyond just using his ability, but whatever. Also, somewhat plot twist, Haru is secretly a Council member. It's kind of difficult to find out, seeing as even other Council members don't know who's who. But, since I kinda sorta created the Blue Robes, it should be fine to have him as a member. Not to mention the fact that Dungeon Master is sending characters to negotiate, so it kind of worked out in the end.

 

The couple arrived at the small forest village and made their way through the dusty, smooth stone roads of the village. Being located in an opening of the forest, the sun shone upon the village. The broken clouds overhead would momentarily block the sun, and create fleeting shadows that ran across the village. As the two foreigners walked, children played in the street outside of the school and customers shopped and bought from the shopkeepers. A person who visited the town could feel a sense of comfort from this scenery. Shizukesa and Cinder reached the office of the seller, which was part of the village's government building. Quickening his pace, Cinder opened the door for Shizukesa, ringing the small bells on it. She still felt a slightly shy from his praise from earlier.
"After you."
"Thank you."
When they entered, the clerk looked up to see who entered. An aging, white-headed man in dark was expecting them to return, and had the coins and documents ready in case they chose to look elsewhere or purchase the home. He wore a robe of navy blue, a loose white shirt and black pants. His cedar desk was neatly organized, and papers were held down with small bronze animal paperweights to keep wind from the open window from scattering the papers.
"So, what did the two of you think?"
Cinder responded to the man as he readied the payment for the home.
"She likes it, and I get a place to sleep. We want to buy it."
"You seem ready. Well, I am ready too, so let's get this done so you can get your new home and so I can get these papers to the archives."
The old man pushed the documents and ink to the couple. Shizukesa read the papers just to make sure there were no disturbing clauses or stipulations to worry about, not allowing the impatient Cinder to sign until she was satisfied. After she had signed the papers, she let Cinder sign. While she waited on Cinder, the old man man looked at her and asked a question.
"How long have the two of you been married, and how did you meet?"
"About seven months. As for how we met, that is a long story, but it started from him losing a bet. To me."
Cinder sighed as he signed, while the old man chuckled.
"Well, that is one way to meet a person. What was the bet?"
"A duel of blades. He lost to me, and so he had to hold up on his end of the promise and help me with a task."
"Ha! He must not have been expecting that one!"
Cinder looked up from signing the papers, slightly agitated by the old man's amusement. He had to step in and stop the tale early. He did not like personal stories involving himself being discussed. Stories involving him had a tendency to make him feel self conscious.
"Alright, we can stop it right there."
"Sure, you have your pride to save."
The man laughed a little more, and Cinder finished his signing his signature. Pulling out a sack of gold coins, Cinder counted out the amount as Shizukesa double checked the amount and organized them into easily counted piles. Once the counting was done, the old man took the coins and placed them in a small safe under his desk. He got up and left the room. A few minutes later, he returned and give Shizukesa a document.
"Here is the deed to your home and the land, and here is the money for the key. You didn't run off with the key you two borrowed, so we did not have to replace the locks to the house."
"Thank you. Let's go, Cinder."
"Sure."
With that, the two of them walked out of the office and into the sunny road.

 

OOT: Life got really busy I will be posting soon. I didn’t forget about this. Sorry for the delay. Jus wanna wanted to show I am still around.

 

Leo was pleasantly holding onto dear life behind the Horse as it galloped onward aimlessly to the destination, unfortunately the kite that he made didn’t actually do much, and before Red noticed Leo tied a rope around himself to also follow along at high speeds. It was a little late when he realized how terrible of an idea it was. He shouted out to red

“I DONT THINK THIS IS WORKING!” Which sounded more like murmurs and choking. As he was dragged onward he eventually regained balance and smacked into a tree, Luckily no damage done and he maintained staying behind them until eventually he had the genius idea to pull out his daggers and stab the horse on each end of its side. All he managed to do was make the horse fall over in agonizing pain. About 5 miles off of the stable.

He saw red get launched from the horse and quickly got back up, grabbed his daggers, and stumbled towards him and dropped down near him. “NOOOOO I KILLED HIM IM A MONSTER!”

 

Cinder and Shizukesa took note of Falcita's greeting, whom they assumed was a young man.
"Any chance you know this young man?"
"There is a chance, but it is an unlikely one. I do not recollect ever meeting him."
"Might as well return the greeting."
Shizukesa and Cinder both greeted Falcita.
"Hello, young man."
"Hi. Do you need something?"
"Are you familiar with this area?"

 

Smiling softly, Shizukesa responded to the young impersonater's question.
"Yes, Nagasaki-san, your presumption is correct; we are new to the area. I am Shizukesa, and this is my husband, Cinder."
Free from doing a self-introduction, Cinder followed up his wife's question with one of his own.
"A leader of a small clan? I've heard of there being a clan in this area. Is it the only one?" Then, thinking to himself, Looks a little weak to be a clan leader. Almost like a girl.