Hajakuja was a port city. A fishing village that developed into a harbor town that bloomed into a rich, vibrant merchant hub for all of Najin. It was also home to various privateer crews, all inofficially in service to the local Daiymo, Amatsuna Koiji. The Amatsuma Clan was at their peak, the third richest clan in all of Naijin. The They held sway over the Anaji, Zaido and Mewega prefectures. Their armies were considerable in size and in experience. Their armada, the pride of Najin.

Born the youngest and only daughter in a family of 5 brothers, all strong and capable, Aikos life was meant to be one of calm, gentle and dignified existence. To learn the brush, not the sword. To learn the diplomacy of whispers and deceit. For the Amatsuna were crafty, and taught its children to always survive the battle if they could. And if defeat and death was at the door, make sure it on your terms. "No ship should ever sink alone. Always bring them with you into the depths with you. The sea cares not."

She lost two of her brothers, long before the threat of the sanguine was evident. Her eldest two brothers lead a raid on a coastal fortress of the Nang coast. Their ships was sunk by the foreign mercenary fleet known as The Golden Ships which had fallen upon them mid siege.

Her father was devastated, and he swore vengeance for his two sons. But he was pursuaded to stay his hand, to not waste his fleet in a war with unknown entities. This decision, likely saved Aiko and many of the clans life, 10 years later. Aiko herself was devastated by the loss of her two beloved brothers, the eldest, Hako, had always been extremely kind and loving towards her.

It was in grief, Aiko met Mikaza. A young, vibrant Onna-bugeisha and confidant and advisor of both her now dead brothers. Mikaza had been tasked with teaching Aiko the way of the sword, should they not return. As both brothers agreed that family line would be considerably weakened if either of them died, and that enemies of the clan might seize the opportunity. And they were right. Aiko was suddenly made to fill in the shoes of her brothers as a small fleet commander and a samurai. No longer was her calling to be the brush, but the blade and the boat.

In many ways, Mikaza was what kept her afloat during the first years of this change. Her advice always encouraging, always wise beyond her years. And Aiko and Mikaza grew close, very close. They became the fleets worst kept secret, and while some talked, most saw the bond as the proof of dynamic, powerful duo. Because Aiko it turned out, quite enjoyed her new position in life once acclimated. She had the love and obedience of her sailors and samurai alike, she was not shy when it came to battle and she was an accomplished Onna-bugeisha by the age of 24. One year later however, all that would be put to the ultimate test.

Because when the Sanguine Nobles and their plague ships arrived. The second youngest of the clans line by the name of Soji, saw something was wrong long before others. He had been pioneering a new early warning of large, manned Buoys and spent the past years fortifying the city naval defenses. The Bouys lit up the night, as the ship sped towards the harbor. And The mighty fleet of the Amatsuna met them with all its might while the city was evacuated. The battle of Hajakuja would go down as one of the most valiant defeats in Najin history. As the armada managed to sink most of the plague ships. However, unaware of the the nature of the enemy, the samurai onboard the ships that boarded the Sanguine Nobles frigates, found themselves torn apart. And worse.

Soji, Aiko and Mikaza had been tasked with evacuating civilians and ensuring a retreat. They watched as the flag ship of the Lord, lit aflame, and exploded. In defiance and aware of what his fate would be if he let himself be captured and turned, the great Daiymo of the Amatsuna clan, detonated kegs of Black powder onboard his ship, taking with him two ships full of Sanguine Nobles and their shock troops. While it failed to kill the abominable creatures, it sank them to the bottom of the sea, severely delaying their arrival in the city.

Soji, Aiko and Mikaza realized the battle was lost, and ordered the full retreat. They saw no sign of their remaining brothers, assuming them all to have been slain. In the end, the city fell to complete ruin. The Three found themselves de-facto leaders of the clan, and set to warn and to gather their fathers retainers who were inland. They found that these strange ships had landed all across the Najin coast, and that a full scale invasion, of which like the islands had never seen had begun. And wherever they went, they heard horror stories of men and women who moved at inhuman speed. Capable of sustaining wounds nad injuries so severe as to have severed limbs, yet fight as nothing happened. They found that several of their vassals and samurai, had willingly joined the invaders when promised part of this power.

In the end, by the time the tides turned. Only a small part of the Zaido prefecture remained of their territories. Soji was ill, to weak to be in battle. Aiko herself had grown weary and tired, finding this battle pointless. It was only the bright, vibrant and great Mikaza that held them both up. And the noble siblings owed everything to her in many ways. Soji had accepted her as his future sister in law and she was the only think keeping Aiko from going completely of the rails with grief of her lost country and family.

Then the news came. A weapon. A way to forge a blade of seemingly divine purpose. All it took, was a willing sacrifice. A bond made into steel. A pact between two, to make one. Aiko and Sojo both contemplated it. Either of them were willing to make the sacrifice. However, Sojos body was to frail, his life allready fleeting. He'd make a weak blade. And if Aiko died, there was no guarantee family line would live on, due to his fragile health.

Mikaza made the choice for them. Aiko did not stop her. She knew Mikaza would not allow herself to be stopped. And Sojo saw the wisdom and was not going to sully a true warriors honor in such a way. And so, two blades were forged from her soul. Two short swords, meant to be wielded by each of them. But Sojo did not make it. The disease and the harsh winter took him the year after. Leaving only Aiko. Sole heir of a once mighty clan.

She spent the next 3 years fighting and reclaiming part of her birthright alongside the most unlikely allies. Men and women of rival clans, united in the fight against the undead. And when the The Five Faction Concord was called, she arrived in the first newly constructed ship of the Reborn Amatsuna Fleet. Swords in hand. Fire in her eyes.

Name: Hui Liu
Title(s): Jiangjun (General)
Age: 39
Origin: Taunak Empire, Southern Kingdoms

Appearance:

Personality: Her outlook on this new world is somewhat grim, but she is not a cynic. She accepts the reality of the hordes of undead--or in her case, nagaraja--and is grateful to have survived another day when she wakes up in the morning. Her station as one of Taunak’s generals requires her patience, and it is a virtue upon which she has good grasp. Her position also requires her to be stern and compassionate, and she is both in (typically) equal parts.

But she is also prone to anger and frustration comes easy when her plans go awry or people do not listen to her. Attentive to minutia, she desires order and abhors the slightest dissidence. The men in her charge say she has streaks of arrogance and is, deep down, a fool; she finds those men incompetent.

Sacred Weapon: A qiang or ancient chinese spear which possesses the soul of her sister. The long wooden handle is a blood red, the blade part of the spear is an off white.

Mundane weapons: She carries a traditional jian (chinese straight sword) as a secondary weapon.

Equipment: She tends to wear light armor with padding beneath when she is preparing her army for a horde of nagaraja; when she knows there will be tougher enemies about, she wears heavy black scale armor and a helmet.

Background Story: Born to Taunak natives, Hiu grew up in a city of grey fortresses and forts; from her earliest days, she has trained to fight the impending blight whether that menace be the nagaraja or the Jiang Ji. Her mother was a jinzhou or lieutenant in the Twin Empereses’ army and her father was a captain. Cheng, Hui’s younger sister, served as her only true friend as they grew up and trained together.

Hui and her sister were closer than most siblings; they were almost inextricably linked: they finished each other’s sentences, could sometimes predict how the other would start a sentence, and some say they could feel one another’s pain. It was not until they became adults that their paths diverged. Chen became ill from what doctors described as ‘tumors’ and could not join her sister in her fight against the undead or the nagaraja. When word spreads of the miracle ritual in Najin, Hui pleads for an audience with Empress Khiem that she may teach Hui how to save her sister. She does not offer Hui such salvation, but she does show her how to conduct the very same ceremony which Khiem conducted with her own sibling.

Some years pass, and where Hui carries on the fight against the nagaraja--for both her and her sister--and rises through the ranks of the Empress’ army, Cheng’s illness does not improve. Nearing her final days, Hui convinces her sister to conduct the ceremony and completes the soul binding ritual. In her despair, Hui nearly quits her command, but is called into battle once more when new snake-people and more hordes of the undead slowly swarm the enclosed city.

Hui leads her forces against the hordes of snake people and undead and forges a legend for herself within the city walls as a leader and warrior. When Empress Khiem calls for the southern providences’ finest warriors, Hui is one of many to answer the call and she brings with her a few men of her own to aid in the fight.

Tall, toned and abnormally buxom, Mikayazi is the stunning image of a warrior. She's almost always found with her signature pink robes on and her katana at her side.

Centuries ago, as told by an ancient story, a man was found washed out on a Najin beach, his skin pale as snow and his hair red as blood. When found, many claimed he was an oni and should be killed on sight, but the local lord wanted him brought in and questioned. Through the use of a simple translation spell from the court magician, they found that he was a high ranked warrior from a far land and that his ship had sunk at sea from bad weather. He explained his people were fleeing from the rule of a tyrant lord and were seeking new lands to begin a new life. The current lord thought on the man's words for quite some time, eventually deciding to make this man a Samurai, in return for his knowledge and skill in battle. The story goes on detailing the man's many adventures and quests for his lord, in which he finally retires and starts a family. There are a few stories detailing his many ancestors, once detailing how he managed to seduce his lord's daughter and claim lordship over the domain for his family name.

But those are the stories of my ancestors, let's get started on me. I the first born and only child under Lord and Lady Ceallacháin in the Jikai province of Rajin. I lived like a normal noble and received excellent education and training throughout my life. The only atypical thing was my interest into weapons as a child. It came to a shock to both of my parents when I requested to become the apprentice of one of the local swordsmiths in our town, and while reluctant, they eventually granted me my wish. I became the man's apprentice when I was seven, but didn't touch a hammer until I was around twelve, because of his personal beliefs.

You see, this man wasn't just a master blacksmith. He was a master swordsman, a retired kensai, in fact. You see, Master Atama has the philosophy that a blacksmith shouldn't make any weapon that didn't know how to use. So, as a kid he had me trained with all manner of weapons, and said that until I mastered one of them, I wouldn't be taught how to make it. Determined, I made sure I practiced day and night in my free time, to the great annoyance of my parents. They got quickly tired of tending to my self brought wounds. But in five years, I reached became skilled enough in the katana to where Master Atama finally allowed me to be his apprentice.

Ten long years passed since I was handed my own hammer and I had become a great smith in my own right. I began making quality swords, I was always kept busy due to the war that was raging to the west of our coast. Most of the blacksmith in the country was busy, was always has an unmeetable demand. It was good practice and well, why would I care about a war that didn't involve us? Yeah, I know. If only it was that simple. Of course the undead nobles wouldn't be satisfied with Watai and would look eastword eventually.

It was 4 years ago that the undead invaded our great nation and we seemed powerless to stop them. They destroyed nearly all the western provinces within the first year and marched toward the east coast, it felt like nothing could stop them. My father ordered the construction of giant walls to be built around our province on the east coast, his generals claimed that they could be finished in time, as long as the central provinces held out in time. Luckily for us, such a method would never need to be finished. A wise monk had found the answer to our salvation. A method of creating a weapon that was the bane of all unliving, but at incredible cost. My father, while weary of this cost, so no other solution. After a long discussion with his wife, they both decided that a weapon would be built. Amata forged a sword for my father and within a month, he left the gates of our nation with a great Odachi and a number of his great samurai. I'm told his small army accomplished their mission and that they all fought honorably , they were an integral piece of a great battle, were they have to route a large scour of undead to prevent a flank from being attacked. His body was laid to rest outside our palace and the weapon buried with him.

I had become Lord of Jikai, the tutoring I received as a child had turned out to become a great benefit to my dealings of running my humble coastal province. Though the time I could rule was undoubtedly short. War was still being waged on our island and throughout the world. I heard the call to battle and accepted it whole heartedly. I approached Master Amata and asked him to do the impossible, the old man accepted saying that he was expecting to pass in one of the future winters and as long as I make a masterpiece, he would live forever. In two months, the gleaming Katana Seiha was born. And with a handfull of my Bushi warriors, I road to battle to remove the stain of death from this world forever.

Jikai is the south eastern province of Najin, nestled against a line of tall mountains. While not the most powerful or most populous, Jikai makes up for it by sitting on a treasure trove of metal, gems, and stone. This abundance of resources as made the land a magnet to war, each rival lord and lady wanting nothing more than to take Jikai's resources to fuel their own war efforts. This has made Jikai very good at defending themselves, for they have seen war since the land was first prospected. Jikai more akin to a fortress than land, walls and gates surround every town or city of importance, many of them starting as forts in the first place. Nestled against the mountains are hundreds of well defended quarries and mines of all types, most of them large enough to fuel a village or a small town. The high lands are perhaps the most well defended area of the province, a great wall surrounding it with a giant gate that bores into any soul that wishes to do it harm.

Ten no Shonheki: There are many ways up to the highlands in Jikai, most are simple foot paths, some are roads. But only one is wide enough to march an army, which is why the Fortress of a gate "Ten no Shonheki" was built, as a means to protect the capital and to protect it's most precious resources from Jikai's numerous invaders. The Gate is made from solid stone and features pairs of solid steel gates to block the path. The gate is equipped with numerous towers to rain arrows or bolts on invaders.

Kapubirejji: Starting as a simple fishing village, Kapubirejji turned into an important strategic landmark during a war with their northern neighbor. Against an enemy with a vastly superior navy, they took over the nearby strait and used it to ferry troops directly to Jikia's port cities with nearly no contest. And while they managed to win the war by land combat, it was a hard fought victory. Jikai didn't have enough lumber to make a navy that could rival their neighbors, so they made the next best thing. Naval Forts. The small fishing village was soon expanded and fortified, equipped with numerous permanently set trebuchet and catapults to defend the strait.

Otera: The Capitol city of Jikai and as such, the most heavily fortified. Nestled in between mountains, Otera is unusual for a Najin town in that it is mostly stone, wood being too costly to bring all the way to the city. The city is known for it's high population of craftsmen, widely considered one of the best places in all of the continent to get something forged. With such a high demand for weapons, it commonly uses the river to ferry down its metal work down to Kawaminato, where it is brought and sold to many other port towns.

Yamashiro: A bustling city that makes most it's money from being a cross roads to many important cities on the highlands. Humorously enough, the city started as a small checkpoint and fort made to protect merchants on the highlands as they went from trading point to point, but was soon used as a trading point itself, causing rapid expansion into the city it is today. The city is known for it's abnormally large mercenary presence as well.

Kawaminato:

Ishimura:

Anamota:

River Checkpoint:

A tall, burly man whose muscles are borne of years of training and experience. He keeps his medium-length black hair tied up in a bun so as not to obstruct his vision. He has a tendency to shave every so often, but it seems this time around, he has decided against it, causing some minor facial hair to propagate. Behind his friendly expression is the eyes of a man who had seen too much bloodshed, but has elected to continue on his path regardless. His face and body is marred with scars and pockmarks, memories of injuries long-past. His palms are rough and calloused, resembling the hands of an artisan, like a blacksmith or carpenter.

Born in the sprawling metropolis city of Hang-Jun, Ryon was the son of one of the siege engineers that managed, maintained, and developed the various siege engines that stood proudly atop the massive walls of the Fortress. The Hyun-Shik family had created a long and venerable line of engineers and tinkerers, and Ryon would be no different. He was homeschooled for majority of his childhood, before eventually being sent to learn at the academy at the age of eight. There, he met his best friend and rival, Yang Eun-Soo. She was a girl his age with a similar background. Just enough to be relatable, but just enough to competitive. Needless to say, they both took to their competitions with gusto.

First it was a footrace to see who could run the perimeter of the city the quickest. Then it became a wager to see who could get the highest score on the school examinations. Over the years, their rivalry only intensified further. Throughout their lives, they learned about new things, and sought to outdo the other. The discovery of blackpowder proved to be a very volatile one, and naturally, the saw it only as another hurdle to overcome. Who could make the biggest fireworks in the city? The Hyun-Shik/Eun-Soo rivalry was a topic that many could laugh or shake their heads at.

Both Ryon and Yang's hotheadedness was cooled immensely during their adolescent years when the latter had lost several fingers in an accident involving blackpowder. Fingers were something very important to an engineer. A grave setback indeed. Since then, they've calmed down somewhat. Their rivalry became less about execution, and more about ideas. Where the body failed, the mind could substitute. Thus, they turned their talents to aiding the city of Hang-Jun. Everything from the lowly drainage system to the mighty wall defenses. They became rising stars in the engineer community.

But once the Sanguine Fever began to spread, everything had changed.

Production within Hang-Jun quickly shifted to a military-based one. Even more so than before, that is. Workshops and engineers could produce armaments at an alarming rate, but soldiers were needed. In hindsight, one could say that they were taken in by the propaganda, but a part in both of them wished to defend their home. Plus, it would be a chance to see the siege engines they were working on in action. Thus, the two were drafted into the Jinju Army.

Through years of service, the two became experienced in marksmanship. Their rivalry began to show once more, though this time it was to see who could put a bolt through an Unresting from the furthest distance away. In spite of Yang's missing fingers, they managed to be valuable assets in the army, eventually gaining actual military positions. They both reached the rank of lieutenant, the two going their own ways to manage their own squads and battalions. During his command, Ryon began to slowly loathe the Undead more and more, remembering all the lives that have been lost to them.

Over time, it became increasingly clear that the new weapons designed by the engineers were only serving to slow the advance of the stronger Undead. It was as if there was nothing that could slay the Jiang Ji or Sanguine Nobles. Nevertheless, part of the military was mobilized to sally forth and break the Undead forces before they could set up a proper siege camp. The resulting bloodbath was horrific. The ground was muddied by the blood and gore that was left behind. In the end, the sally was successful; the siege was repelled before it began. The cost? Only the lives of thousands of men. If there were to be another victory like that, there would be no returning to Hang-Jun.

However, the Undead were only repelled momentarily. They would return, and everyone knew it. As the battered soldiers steeled themselves for another gruesome siege, a messenger had brought word from neighboring lands. The undead could be stopped.

They only needed weapons.

Although the process was a shock to most, there was no shortage of volunteers. Ryon and Yang were no exception. And thus, Kae Sun-Yung had selected them to come along as well. Ryon and Yang both looked to each other. They could've flipped a coin and be done with it, but where was the fun in that?

They had one last contest. The one who could produce the greatest arbalest design would be the victor. The loser would give their life to make that weapon reality. They both said their goodbyes and made their peace. There was no ill-will or animosity between them. They both knew what needed to be done. Thus, they set out to work one final time.

For three days and three nights, they had toiled. Tirelessly, they planned to see who could come up with the best design. In the end, it was a contest between Ryon's Red Meteor against Yang's Lone Dragon. It was judged before other engineers, and then by each other. After some deliberation, it was clear who was the winner.

Ryon had won, if only by a little bit. His design proved heavier, but more reliable. The two embraced, had a drink, and then said their goodbyes. The Red Meteor was named after Yang's first firework. A blazing comet that streaked across the city's night sky. Now armed with a weapon capable of harming the Sanguine, Ryon set out to fight. For those who had been lost in the war, and so that others may continue to live.

Wei is a little taller than most others, with a slim but athletic frame of a body. He has long black hair that he keeps the back side up in a bun. His bluish-grey eyes are perhaps his most distinctive physical trait. His body and attire clean, doing his best to keep appearance proper when he can.

Wei was but a young boy of 5 when the invasion of the undead began. With his father recruited into a peasant force, he was sent with his mother to the western parts of Tau. Unfortunately, on the journey, his mother fell terribly ill, succumbing to it just after making it into the mystical Alabaster Mountains. Now being an orphaned, he found himself placed with others who had also lost their families in these times. It was also in those early years he would find Xiong, an older boy that he would call his brother.

Upon the turning of his fifteenth year, he and Xiong were both scouted by the institute for training in both the mystic and martial arts. In the years since then, Wei and Xiong pushes themselves in their training and studies, with both of them often being amongst the top of the apprentices there. While Xiong usually fared better in the martial part of the training, Wei was said to have a better understanding and connection with the mystical side of it.

It was not that long ago when the knowledge in making the only weapons known to fight back the undead successfully, the Inochi no ken, was given to those in Tau. Though the price of making one was surprising to hear at first, to those trained at the institute, it made great sense in a way. In order to fight the great darkness that has come to these lands, great sacrifice to combat that was accepted. It didn’t mean that Wei was prepared when Xiong said he was ready to make that sacrifice, asking Wei to be the one to wield him once it was over.

Wei was at first quite hesitant at first about Xiong so ready to give up his life so easily. Xiong’s hand came up and grasped Wei’s shoulder, telling him it was alright. That as his older brother, he was always ready to help and protect Wei with his life if needed. And now was that time. The will acknowledged, Wei had one final meal with his brother, before he found himself leaving the grounds that evening with the newly forged Jian, Yǒnggǎn de gē, at his side.

He spent the next several years training day in and day out with the blade in the morning, his mystical studies around noon, and archery in the evening when he had a spare moment. And when he was chosen to be sent out as a representative of Tau by their leader, he was ready to begin the long task of taking back the lands he had long ago known as home.

Young Kage Tatsuya stands confidently at 5’10” with flexibility matching the feline and a piercing glare equal to a snake measuring its prey. Kage has long black hair reaching his shoulders with brown eyes seen from behind a kitsune or oni mask. These masks reflect the Roku-Dai teachings of Shin Takiyo and the Wu Xing Shin School. The oni represents the death harbored behind his presence as a mortal being possessed to practice evil acts for a purpose personal to him. The kitsune represents the deceit and trickery in using the darkness as an ally for good. Otherwise Kage wears a traditional Gi with a straw hat and his hair tied in a bun underneath.

Personality:

Kage is “silently fierce”, he is not one to entertain or draw much attention. He rather listen and observe his surroundings instead of adding to it in noise. Kage once a young boy bound to honor under the Nang Dynasty following the path of Feng Huo, has now cast himself into the unbound territory of shadows. The very art he practices is the Roku-Dai, an extension from the teaching of Shin Takiyo and his school Wu Xing Shin. Shin Takiyo only brought this extension or private school of thought to light due to the extraordinary circumstances that have occurred in the Nang Dynasty. Kage was presented with Shin’s teachings of Roku-Dai after the sacrifice of his father and Hiroshi, Shin now 89 years of age leaves the Roku-Dai in the hands of Kage Tatsuya at age 28.

Sacred Weapon: Dansu Raito or “Dancing Light”, The sword is a mixture of steel melted down from his father’s blade that was given to Kage before ordering him to retreat with the refugees, and Hiroshi before the sacrificial ritual. The two metals were fused together to create the double edged sword that Kage now wields with Hiroshi’s soul.



Mundane weapons:

+ Chang Dao
+ Zhanmadoa

Equipment:

+ Rope
+ Opium pipe
+ Herbal Medicines
+ Kunai

Background Story:

Kage Tatsuya is a member of the Tatsuya clan originating in one of the hill tribes of Naijin. He is also an outstanding member of the Shin Wu Xing School founded by a former Waito General by the name of Feng Huo and a Monk, Shin Takiyo. The two had fled from their respective province in the Waito lands after it’s collapse. During the summer season, a revolution sparked caused by the pressure of the current King. The dowry of the King was low due to poor spending leaving the security force half abandoned. Feng Huo during the last battle to protect the palace, decided instead to turn his attention on the monastery, which was also under attack, the revolution accused them for training “lost children” making soldiers out of them to supply the King with fighters. The accusations were incorrect, but it did not stop the revolution from attempting to raze it or take the children. Feng Huo would successfully defeat the small force but at the cost of losing the palace. Feng Huo speaks to Shin Takiyo the Monk of the Monastery to gather the children and make the move toward Naijin.

Feng Huo and Shin Takiyo would trek to the shores of Waito with 27 children, 17 trained men, 12 women, and 9 monks. During the journey they would lose 6 children, 5 men, 3 women, and a monk to illness on the road. When they reached Naijin, they found a similar scenario playing out as in Waito, but this time there were no ties to position or rank with responsibility and so the two decided to head North toward the hill tribes of Naijin. Once in the mountains, Feng Huo and Shin Takiyo secured a plot of land to begin building the school they conceptualized during their journey to Naijin. The plans of the school did not alter but the way they would sell it did. Considering the social predicament the Naijinese people faced, Feng Huo used the school as a way to teach self-defense to the rural hill tribes from the constant battles around them. They also marketed the school as a monastery for troubled or orphaned youth. Over time Feng Huo and Shin Takiyo would do small civil work in the villages, eventually putting the children to work as well. This created a reciprocal relationship between the school and the villages it pulled from.

The school was both a monastery for Shin Takiyo to continue his work, but also a recruiting center for Feng Huo. His loyalities did not leave him when he left Waito, they simply reorganized priorities. Feng Huo believed in unification of Waito, that one day Waito would no longer fight amongst itself, but would turn inward to prepare for its mature evolution into one entity. Feng Huo felt time was necessary for this growth, and he would re-enter to arena with strong men who could carry out his vision when other leaders with similar visions did the same. He knew them to be working as he was, for he was not the only one with the same vision during his time serving.

The school marked its name to be Wu Xing Shin or Truth of the Five Elements. It was an integration of both battle tactics and spiritual philosophy. The assimilation of mind, body, and spirit were emphasized greatly in the works of the Wu Xing Shin. Only 6 months after it broke ground, the school housed the original 21 children who moved from Waito to Naijin, but it added 7 more children from the neighboring hill tribes. Two of these children went by the names of Kaori Tatsuya and Hiroshi Yoshinori, appearing more like brothers than friends.

Both trained and worshipped closely together studying their way through the Wu Xing Shin School. The two would be tested on all levels of the human condition, but their loyalty to the land they grew up in was not truly measured until Feng Huo heard of Lau Nang’s plan for unifying Waito. Feng Huo seizing the opportunity he had been waiting for sent a correspondent to Lau Nang, promising a private military to fight for Lau Nang in the East, with the agreement that Feng Huo would be awarded his own land and position within the Nang Dynasty to help maintain the security of a unified empire.

Lau Nang agreed to these terms leaving Feng with negotiating the approach. Feng first had to speak with Shin, once they came to an agreement Feng took 70 master students including Kaori and Hiroshi to the Eastern provinces of Waito. Feng knew these lands well successfully liberating several villages from former warlords with the element of surprise. The villagers were then recruited by Feng Huo to continue their emancipation of needless warring states. This idea snowballed into a 200 man fighting force led by Feng Huo, Kairo, Hiroshi, and a handful of other master students.

Feng Huo’s momentum would not cave and his campaign resulted in success. It would not be but a few months later when news crossed the land of Lau Nang’s achievement too. The Nang Dynasty establishing itself as a secured power that did what was thought impossible. When the fighting settled, Feng Huo was invited to the capitol to receive his decorations in the ranks of the Nang Dynasty. His authority opened up a favorable pipe line from the Wu Xing Shin School to his army.

The brief time peace existed, Kaori would find a young Waito woman who he settled with, the two conceived five children; 3 boys and girls, the youngest was Kage Tatsuya. Hiroshi would not settle in having his own family, but treated Kaori’s as if they were his own. The five were trained by Feng Huo’s school established in the capitol of his province directly descending from the Wu Xing Shin School teachings. They also received lessons from Kaori, Hiroshi, and personally from the 57 year old Feng Huo at the palace.

Peace however does not last forever. The Dynasty was shook by the death of Lau Nang’s loved ones. Quickly the emotional toll of losing those closest to Lau Nang could be felt across the empire as his reign shifted to more cynical and tyrannical. A search for immortality was the new talk of the land, it was a chatter that propagated two camps; one opposing, one for. Lau Nang the only voice that mattered occupied the “for” camp in an attempt to reconnect his loved ones back with the world of the living. When Lau Nang announced the findings of the scrolls, he invited his Nobles to the capitol for a ceremony of Eternal Life, to give them the gift he was giving to his loved ones for their service to his cause. Feng Huo was one of them as he grew sick with old age, he had just started the dream he had always envisioned only to be sapped of his energy because of age and natural illness. Feng Huo agreed to the invitation of furthering his life asking Kaori to accompany him and two sons for protection on the road. He required those most loyal to him since many throughout the land disagreed with the use of these scrolls.

The arrival was a spectacle in its own right, but what followed was the illness never forgotten. All of the nobles who participated in the ceremony including Lau Nang became sick with a fever. Feng Huo even went as far to submit himself to it allowing for Kaori and his sons to return to the province. He believed the empire was about to be in danger from its own ruler. Reluctant Kairo takes his sons leaving the General at his bed side. Unfortunately, during the journey back both sons become ill, showing similar signs of the fever. They make it to the edges of their land greeted by one of the master students who takes responsibility in bringing the boys by cart. Kaori rides to Hiroshi and Kage who were left behind to maintain the daily operations of fielding a security force. When Kairo arrives he is able to fill in the details of what has transpired, but one day after arriving news of Feng Huo and a strange military of possessed looking Nang warriors are reported to razing a village a few hundred miles from the capitol of the province.

Kairo concerned about his boys who never returned order several messengers to ride out and have all the villages retreat to the palace. No one knew what the threat was, but Kairo after listening to Feng Huo’s warning after the ceremony while laying on his “death” bed, knew it could not have been of this world. Feng Huo should be dead, but he wasn’t, he was with an army killing his own people.

Some of the messengers were too late in getting to the villages before Feng Huo did, but those who could made it only to be asked that they either fight if able, or retreat to the shores to cross the waters toward Naijin if not. The fighters were instructed that the odds of surviving were slim and that their only objective was stand for as long as they could to give the others a starting chance. It would be 6 days after the initial invasion of Feng Huo before the Terror emerged over hill’s crest with an army of undead.

Kaori and Hiroshi with several other master students of the Wu Xing Shin School led the defense in opposing Feng Huo. Kage would be ordered by his father to retreat as the last known Tatsuya. There also needed to be a leader among the refugees who knew how to get to the monastery in Naijin. The battle for the capitol began with the archers volleying across the field while the undead scourge covered immense ground with supernatural speed. The final hours were closed once the undead reached the top of the walls where they began cutting down untrained men while trained men attempted to stand their ground only to be overwhelmed.

In the palace Kaori and Hiroshi along with staged kegs of black powder awaited Feng Huo. Feng Huo reached the palace doors only to be invited in by Kaori and Hiroshi lest he hide behind his pawns because he was too weak to fight them. The challenge was accepted, Feng Huo battled the two without mercy severely injuring Kaori and wounding Hiroshi. In a final attempt to kill Feng Huo, the master students of Wu Xing Shin emerged from various places to ambush Feng Huo and the undead who were inside the palace witnessing the fight. During the chaos Kaori ordered Hiroshi to escape just before Feng Huo lifted Kaori up in the air taking a large bit into the neck of now limp body.

Hiroshi retreated into a tunnel beneath the palace where the black powder kegs were stationed. These kegs were set next to the supports resulting in the fortress to crumble beneath its own weight. Hiroshi with 5 master students escaped leaving several others behind to continue the fight. Ignited the kegs charged an explosion shaking the tunnel and the fortress, the structure began collapsing until dust and rubble remained. It was not confirmed whether Feng Huo survived but anything inside the palace would have been crushed or trapped.

Hiroshi does make it to Naijin reunited with Kage. Kage is informed of his father’s death by the hands of Feng Huo who also was a father-figure to Kage. The story brought with it a unfathomable amount of pain and questions only to be answered by the stories following the events, the ceremony brought with it a fever creating undead. This realization brought the news of Naito in Naijin not long after. Shin Takiyo, Hiroshi, Kage and several other members decide on their options with how they were to respond to the events of their once beloved land. Hiroshi offers himself to Kage to free the curse holding Feng Huo and revenge the death of his father and all the fathers who lost their lives and sons defending a dream now drowning in evil.