Toki bowed his head slightly to Fujimaru, it was clear from the way he had looked from one speaker to the other that the man at least bothered to listen to everyone's opinions, not just the captain. "I'd worry about makin' a name for m'self when we ain't in a state of war. Ev'ry man may be born to die, but ya know, I'd rather have grandchildren to tell some stories, ya hear?" He motioned at his compatriots who took better positions on his sides. His eyes widened as he remembered a line he read once, it was from the Art of War. 'Ponder and Deliberate before you make a move'. He spoke again, calmly, without the earlier 'country bumpkin drawl'. "Captain... Exactly what are we attacking here? Do we know their numbers? Are there civilians present?" Though the Bastard of Yamato had a stomach for killing he drew the line in non-combatants. He held his right hand up, palm facing the four men with him and spreading his fingers. Calmly he waited for some kind of a confirmation or estimate from Fujimaru. "After all a wise man wrote once... uh... Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive, and we are definitely taking the offensive here, sir." Toki had for a moment a mischievous, barely noticeable smile on his lips. "Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain."
Marcus XVI Member
STATUS: Just because you can have 36 attacks per turn that threaten a crit on a roll of 14+ doesn't mean it's worth doing. 6 yrs ago
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Just because you can have 36 attacks per turn that threaten a crit on a roll of 14+ doesn't mean it's worth doing.
8 yrs ago
Purple, because aliens wear red hats.
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10 yrs ago
Isn't it weird how you can start a private conversation with yourself?
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Ah, my bad.
Toki and his little group were the last to form up. The men looked around exchanging little one or two word comments to each other about everything that caught their eyes - the comments were mase in the language of the foreigners. When the tfoop came to a halt Toki and his compatriots made their way to the front, being surprisingly cautious and for the lack of a better term orderly in their advance.
It took a moment for him to compose his words, but after the five men had bowed to the captains - a rare sight from such ruffians - Toki spoke out. "Captains, with your permission I would voluteer m'self and m' compatriots to deal the first blow." The man adjusted his haori as a nervous smile spread to his lips. "Would it not be best to send us with less skill to test out the enemy first? As not to dull your fine blades on the necks of the undeserving." As he spoke he unholstered his coach gun with his left hand, breaking it open with the pull of a lever and sliding two shells to the barrels while making sure the gun was pointed down at all times. "As effective tools as these foreign weapons are, they do not discern a friend from foe. Thus I would feel it be for the safety of the troop that we go in first." His voice shook slightly as he waited for an answer from the gathered captains.
It took a moment for him to compose his words, but after the five men had bowed to the captains - a rare sight from such ruffians - Toki spoke out. "Captains, with your permission I would voluteer m'self and m' compatriots to deal the first blow." The man adjusted his haori as a nervous smile spread to his lips. "Would it not be best to send us with less skill to test out the enemy first? As not to dull your fine blades on the necks of the undeserving." As he spoke he unholstered his coach gun with his left hand, breaking it open with the pull of a lever and sliding two shells to the barrels while making sure the gun was pointed down at all times. "As effective tools as these foreign weapons are, they do not discern a friend from foe. Thus I would feel it be for the safety of the troop that we go in first." His voice shook slightly as he waited for an answer from the gathered captains.
Am ready when ya are
Name: Toki Yamato
Nicknames: The Bastard of Yamato, Dishonest Mutt
Age: 32
Gender: male
Rank: Assassin
Specializations: Firearms, ambushes
Appearance: Toki stands at 5'7, He seems almost scrawny, but it's clear he is quite fit even despite his looks. His cheeks are a bit gaunt and his nose has broken at least twice. Toki keeps his hair cut short in the style of the foreigners and has decided to go for a mostly shaven look - leaving his thin mustache however. Under his haori he wears foreign clothes - black pants, a thick belt with a sort of bandolier for the shells of his coach gun, riding boots and an officer's coat - he had to pay quite a price for the coat and it is now one of his most prized possessions. He openly carries his foreign weapons on his hip - the coach gun having it's own specially made holster.
Personality: Despite his seeming dishonesty and other less savory antics Toki is quite jovial - lacking the traditional training of etiquette due to his illegitimacy he has no trouble conversing with people from all around the society - from the lowliest peasant to the highest of nobles, or the foreigners for that matter.
Biography: Toki is the youngest - and illegitimate - son of the Yamato Clan - a little clan formerly from the north of Shikoku, now fallen on hard times. He was never quite interested in the 'traditional arts', preferring sake dens and gunsmiths over calligraphy and swordsmanship. He got interested in firearms at a young age - quickly devouring every piece of information about them, the more technical the better! When the black ship arrived he began associating as much as possible with the foreigners - becoming quite adept in their language in the process and managing to make few contacts - contacts he would later use to outfit a squad of men with if not the most modern tools of killing at least with something that would get the job done.
For a while the group Toki gathered were little more than glorified bandits, skirting on the edge of the law and more or less causing trouble and being more a nuisance than any kind of a threat to the Imperial - and by extension to the Shogunates - forces. A change to this came when they openly disrespected an officer - an imperial captain. The captain challenged the crew into a duel on the spot, something Toki felt was plainly idiotic. It was 5 against one and the 5 were armed with coach guns and swords whereas the captain was only armed with his sword. Still, a 'duel' they had. It ended in less than 3 seconds with the captain's body riddled with shot. This action hardly gained them any love from the imperial forces and the men quickly found themselves having to flee their home province.
Now more more or less criminals in the eyes of the imperial forces Toki threw his lot in with the Shogunate properly. The crew 'enlisted' to the Shogunate cause and managed to prove their worth to at least few of the commanders - even though the proper samurai leading them still saw the men as little more than crass and dishonorable fools, their use of tactics more fitting to a peasant rather than samurai was still proving to be very effective. Thus Toki and his little group had gotten - if not an outright pardon, then at least a stay of execution.
When the Shinsengumi was formed Toki managed to get himself aquainted with the group - mostly by cashing in a favour from one of the samurai he had served under, with the caveat that he literally never ask any favours from the fellow ever again. His dishonest and dishonourable creed of 'quick victory, at any cost' may not have made him many friends, but it has made his 'crew'- as he calls the little group of four compatriots he hangs around with, the group he armed before joining the Shinsengumi - a quite effective fighting force.
Fighting Style: Toki's fighting style is quite... Dishonorable to say the least. He never fights alone if he can avoid it and utilizes his squads marksmanship ability as much as possible. If he has to fight alone he will take full advantage of every dishonest trick in the book - be it sand in the eyes or just blasting his opponent from close range with his revolver or coach gun. His defenses consist of him staying quick on his feet and remaining out of sword reach as much as possible, or just simply legging it - often to goad his enemies in to following him to a prepared ambush.
Preferred Weapon(s): Colt Army Model 1860 revolver, a short barreled coach gun without the stock and modified to empty both barrels with the pull of only one trigger, wakizashi for close combat
Nicknames: The Bastard of Yamato, Dishonest Mutt
Age: 32
Gender: male
Rank: Assassin
Specializations: Firearms, ambushes
Appearance: Toki stands at 5'7, He seems almost scrawny, but it's clear he is quite fit even despite his looks. His cheeks are a bit gaunt and his nose has broken at least twice. Toki keeps his hair cut short in the style of the foreigners and has decided to go for a mostly shaven look - leaving his thin mustache however. Under his haori he wears foreign clothes - black pants, a thick belt with a sort of bandolier for the shells of his coach gun, riding boots and an officer's coat - he had to pay quite a price for the coat and it is now one of his most prized possessions. He openly carries his foreign weapons on his hip - the coach gun having it's own specially made holster.
Personality: Despite his seeming dishonesty and other less savory antics Toki is quite jovial - lacking the traditional training of etiquette due to his illegitimacy he has no trouble conversing with people from all around the society - from the lowliest peasant to the highest of nobles, or the foreigners for that matter.
Biography: Toki is the youngest - and illegitimate - son of the Yamato Clan - a little clan formerly from the north of Shikoku, now fallen on hard times. He was never quite interested in the 'traditional arts', preferring sake dens and gunsmiths over calligraphy and swordsmanship. He got interested in firearms at a young age - quickly devouring every piece of information about them, the more technical the better! When the black ship arrived he began associating as much as possible with the foreigners - becoming quite adept in their language in the process and managing to make few contacts - contacts he would later use to outfit a squad of men with if not the most modern tools of killing at least with something that would get the job done.
For a while the group Toki gathered were little more than glorified bandits, skirting on the edge of the law and more or less causing trouble and being more a nuisance than any kind of a threat to the Imperial - and by extension to the Shogunates - forces. A change to this came when they openly disrespected an officer - an imperial captain. The captain challenged the crew into a duel on the spot, something Toki felt was plainly idiotic. It was 5 against one and the 5 were armed with coach guns and swords whereas the captain was only armed with his sword. Still, a 'duel' they had. It ended in less than 3 seconds with the captain's body riddled with shot. This action hardly gained them any love from the imperial forces and the men quickly found themselves having to flee their home province.
Now more more or less criminals in the eyes of the imperial forces Toki threw his lot in with the Shogunate properly. The crew 'enlisted' to the Shogunate cause and managed to prove their worth to at least few of the commanders - even though the proper samurai leading them still saw the men as little more than crass and dishonorable fools, their use of tactics more fitting to a peasant rather than samurai was still proving to be very effective. Thus Toki and his little group had gotten - if not an outright pardon, then at least a stay of execution.
When the Shinsengumi was formed Toki managed to get himself aquainted with the group - mostly by cashing in a favour from one of the samurai he had served under, with the caveat that he literally never ask any favours from the fellow ever again. His dishonest and dishonourable creed of 'quick victory, at any cost' may not have made him many friends, but it has made his 'crew'- as he calls the little group of four compatriots he hangs around with, the group he armed before joining the Shinsengumi - a quite effective fighting force.
Fighting Style: Toki's fighting style is quite... Dishonorable to say the least. He never fights alone if he can avoid it and utilizes his squads marksmanship ability as much as possible. If he has to fight alone he will take full advantage of every dishonest trick in the book - be it sand in the eyes or just blasting his opponent from close range with his revolver or coach gun. His defenses consist of him staying quick on his feet and remaining out of sword reach as much as possible, or just simply legging it - often to goad his enemies in to following him to a prepared ambush.
Preferred Weapon(s): Colt Army Model 1860 revolver, a short barreled coach gun without the stock and modified to empty both barrels with the pull of only one trigger, wakizashi for close combat
Toki and his crew were standing close to the door. They had actually shown some initiative for once and had volunteered for guard duty - even though they all thought the captains probably needed no guards, judging by the stories of their skill the men had heard, but it never hurt to have few extra men on your side. The Bastard of Yamato had gotten a very icy glare from the long haired, thin faced captain... - Saito? That must have been the captain's name - when he had volunteered his little group, but after a moment of downright unnerving silence they had gotten the smallest little nod of agreement.
Toki adjusted his haori and did his best not to seem nervous in the presence of these 'proper' samurai. Something about them reminded him of the captain who ended up causing him getting involved with the Shogunate - the difference being, at least according to the stories was that these men could probably take his crew on. Still, stories were just stories and he wouldn't be believing any of them before he saw them in action. He would take the stories as the foreigners said 'with a grain of salt'.
As he slightly moved his weight from one leg to the other Toki slightly brushed his forehead with his right hand to keep himself from yawning - it was one of the few tricks of 'proper' etiquette he had bothered to learn, mostly because he himself found yawning to be impolite and there was a high chance so would these samurai. As he listened to the conversation he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting out his own opinions.
Okita had a good point. Overconfidence was foolishness of the highest strata. The Fuijimaru fellow - captain Koizuki to be precise - made a good point - though Toki found his words sounding hypocritical. The samurai with all the talk about honour and the proper conduct of a warrior, and then this one fellow just pretty much suggesting the solution of 'gang up on the bastard'. Still, he liked Koizuki's way of thinking. It may not have been as pragmatic as his own, but at least there was no immediate talk of searching this... bright eyed samurai... and challenging him to a duel.
When there was a lull in the conversation Toki looked around the room, taking quick, barely noticeable glances of the captains and pretty much everyone else present. These people were... unnervingly calm. There were many a sword in the room, so much skill in their use, all in one place. How easy it would have been to just take few steps and take a shot at them? He quickly shook the thought from his mind - after all these people had given him a chance. Still, as crazy as the thought was Toki did make a note of it. There could always be traitors in their ranks, but he wouldn't be one. Still, thinking how you would do something underhanded often gave you a good idea of how someone else might do something underhanded.
Toki adjusted his haori and did his best not to seem nervous in the presence of these 'proper' samurai. Something about them reminded him of the captain who ended up causing him getting involved with the Shogunate - the difference being, at least according to the stories was that these men could probably take his crew on. Still, stories were just stories and he wouldn't be believing any of them before he saw them in action. He would take the stories as the foreigners said 'with a grain of salt'.
As he slightly moved his weight from one leg to the other Toki slightly brushed his forehead with his right hand to keep himself from yawning - it was one of the few tricks of 'proper' etiquette he had bothered to learn, mostly because he himself found yawning to be impolite and there was a high chance so would these samurai. As he listened to the conversation he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting out his own opinions.
Okita had a good point. Overconfidence was foolishness of the highest strata. The Fuijimaru fellow - captain Koizuki to be precise - made a good point - though Toki found his words sounding hypocritical. The samurai with all the talk about honour and the proper conduct of a warrior, and then this one fellow just pretty much suggesting the solution of 'gang up on the bastard'. Still, he liked Koizuki's way of thinking. It may not have been as pragmatic as his own, but at least there was no immediate talk of searching this... bright eyed samurai... and challenging him to a duel.
When there was a lull in the conversation Toki looked around the room, taking quick, barely noticeable glances of the captains and pretty much everyone else present. These people were... unnervingly calm. There were many a sword in the room, so much skill in their use, all in one place. How easy it would have been to just take few steps and take a shot at them? He quickly shook the thought from his mind - after all these people had given him a chance. Still, as crazy as the thought was Toki did make a note of it. There could always be traitors in their ranks, but he wouldn't be one. Still, thinking how you would do something underhanded often gave you a good idea of how someone else might do something underhanded.
Now now, more a jack of all trades with way too many years under his belt :P
Fair enough.
Name: His Grace, Martel Griffonsbane, the 1st Duke of Blackwood, Master Bard Extraordinaire, Magna Alumni, 1st Blademaster of the Order of Golden Dragon, Wielder of the Weave, Teller of Tales, Feller of Foes, Singer of the Songs, Planeswalker of Great Renown, Shatterer of the Black Seal, Slayer of Arioch, Wielder of the Black Blade.
Age: 2445
Gender: Male
Species: Elder Vampire (Human)
Looks:
Personality: Martel is a surprisingly jovial and goodnatured fellow, kind and caring to those he calls friends and an utter nightmare to his enemies. He loves sharing stories of his countless adventures to everyone who would listen. He never asks for monetary payment for anything these days - after all nearly 25 centuries of adventuring have left him a very wealthy man. He does not hide his vampirism, but keeps his bloodthirst in check at even the worst situations.
Skills: Master level swordsman, mage and thief, greatly enhanced physical strength, reflexes, speed and durability, Near-immunity to mind affecting spells, vast knowledge of the planes, near-immunity to the effects of sunlight.
Age: 2445
Gender: Male
Species: Elder Vampire (Human)
Looks:
Personality: Martel is a surprisingly jovial and goodnatured fellow, kind and caring to those he calls friends and an utter nightmare to his enemies. He loves sharing stories of his countless adventures to everyone who would listen. He never asks for monetary payment for anything these days - after all nearly 25 centuries of adventuring have left him a very wealthy man. He does not hide his vampirism, but keeps his bloodthirst in check at even the worst situations.
Skills: Master level swordsman, mage and thief, greatly enhanced physical strength, reflexes, speed and durability, Near-immunity to mind affecting spells, vast knowledge of the planes, near-immunity to the effects of sunlight.
Neat ^^
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