Takashi

A Game of Heirs

There was some importation of Western goods, but they were generally rare. Access to them would likely give a merchant a significant advantage, so I'm sure it would be feasible.

A Game of Heirs

The length of the post is fine. I expect that I'll be making posts of that length from time to time as well, and my last couple have been rather long since there was quite a bit to set up.

I'll take the Tanzo. Their main "selling point" for the Aroi family is that their lord is a smaller Daimyo that shares borders with the Aroi family. They cannot match the Aroi clan in terms of military might, but an alliance through marriage would clearly be beneficial to both of them.

A Game of Heirs

I can see it working either way. I think it would be fun if we could play off of one another within the families, but it would be easier to manage if we each just controlled one family. Maybe each of us could play the core (mother-father-daughter) of each family, and leave side characters, like a brother or a cousin or whatnot up for grabs. It may work better that way if we're planning bits of deception and bloodshed.

A Game of Heirs

Tetsuo had managed to alter his preparations to accommodate the new information he had received from his father, but he was never comfortable arranging things in short notice, and he worried that he may have overlooked something. Although Tetsuo would never dare complain about such trifles, Shingo noticed a subtle change in his son's demeanor: the young man's confidence was beginning to waver ever so slowly. Shingo could not pass up this opportunity to tease his son. "I'm jealous of you," he said, approaching Tetsuo the morning the Nakashima family was scheduled to arrive. "I miss the days of reading poetry to pretty young women."

Tetsuo knew that his father wanted some kind of indignant objection; he would ensure that such satisfaction would be denied. "Mother will not listen to your poems?" he retorted.

"She knows them all already. It takes the fun out of reading them. You can only enjoy something for the first time once."

Tetsuo ruminated on his father's last sentence for a few moments, and then gave a respectful bow. "Thank you. I will keep that in mind when entertaining my guest." Tetsuo was still nervous, uncomfortable, but his confidence had returned. This was a social visit, not a matter of business; there was no excuse not to enjoy the day.

* * *

The Aroi family did not keep their guests waiting long, and arrived in the tatami room only a few minutes after the Nakashimas. Father and son both wore a deep blue kimono, the Aroi family crest displayed on the back in golden embroidery. Tetsuo carried himself with the dignity one expected from nobility, each footstep the result of an immaculate calculation. The lady of the household, Aroi Kaname, wore a kimono that flaunted dyes all of the brightest reds and oranges. Here hair appeared equally colorful as it was adorned with a jeweled headdress that could dwarf the wealth of an entire family on its own. For Kaname, there was no such thing as overkill when it came to her appearance.

"Welcome to Ido castle!" Shingo said in a courteous, but clearly friendly tone. The three took their seats across from the Nakshima family, Kaname facing Rie, Shingo facing Shigeru, and Tetsuo facing Chiharu. "It is an honor to have you here and I hope you enjoy your stay..."

As his father delivered their salutations, Tetsuo was free to take in his first glimpse of Chiharu. It was clear that she took great care in her appearance as nary a fold of her dress or a single strand of hair was out of place. He could easily call her beautiful, and it took some restraint not to break decorum with an inappropriate smile. His father was speaking, he should be listening. "...my wife Aroi Kaname, and my son..." No, his father was finished speaking. "Aroi Tetsuo," he said, introducing himself with a bow, just barely saving himself the embarrassment of missing his turn to speak. He was sure the guests would be utterly unaware, but he prayed that his father, sly as he was, hadn't noticed that brief hesitation; there would be no defense against the teasing later if this was the case.

Shingo continued the introduction. "My son has been taking on numerous responsibilities as of late. Although I am the lord of this estate, my son is the actual executor of all the affairs at Ido Castle. I have given him full authority to make any and all domestic and economic decisions without consulting me if he deems it wise, and thus far I have not regretted it. In fact, my life has become rather easy. But let me not belabor my own family's introduction. You have written to me about your family in our correspondence, but surely letters rife with business do not do them justice."

Tetsuo listened carefully now and adjusted his posture ever so slightly. This was their invitation to speak, and he did not want to let even one piece of information slip his mind, not on their first meeting. A crucial part of making a first impression was listening, and he was prepared to memorize an entire genealogy as they spoke if that was what it took. Also, if was was to seriously consider courting Chiharu, he would need to make sure that a relationship with the Nakashimas would be beneficial to the Aroi family.

A Game of Heirs

Everything's looking good so far. In regards to the other two families, did you want to end up playing one family and I the other, or do you think it would be better if we split the roles of each family between us?

Rapidfire Battles (players treated like NPCs, realistically short, might be good practice)

Might be interested depending on what the specifics of the rules are. In my many years of combat RPing, I've found that the "honor system" just doesn't work in competitive combat, even in quick matches.

A Game of Heirs

The first seventeen years of Aroi Tetsuo's life were full of comfort and prosperity. His face had very soft features, giving him a youthful appearance, but his sensei had ensured that he built a strong body. He spent most of his days studying the ways of both war and peace. His uncle, Aroi Keiji, was an expert in the art of war, and had obtained a vast region for his family to rule over, however, due to his Lord's success, Tetsuo had never been called on to defend the land, nor had Tetsuo asked for such an honor. The Aroi armies were a force to be reckoned with, and no lord would take a conflict with the Aroi clan lightly. This being the case, though Tetsuo was trained both in the use of a blade and in military tactics, he had yet to see a real fight.

As a boy, Tetsuo was praised by his elders for his command of courtesy and exhibited decorum beyond his years. His servants, though he never let them overstep the bounds of decorum, were treated with respect and rewarded often. However, once Tetsuo could no longer be considered his child, his father, Aroi Shingo, imparted these words onto him: "You have grown into a capable and virtuous man, but virtue alone will not suffice for a ruler of these lands. Your heart is too soft, and any enemies that will inevitably appear in your life will have their blades to your throat before you even consider drawing your own. I have not requested that my brother give you an army because I know I would lose a son, not for lack of competence, but for lack of spirit. There are times for compassion, but there are also times for ferocity. You have done nothing for which I may reprimand you, but as your father I must tell you that if you do not harden your heart, the world will harden it for you. My brother has been fortunate. One turn of bad fortune will mean his responsibilities become mine, which will in turn may fall to you one day. Be prepared for that day."

Tetsuo regarded his father's words highly and was grateful for the advice, but he knew not how to abide by it. His father saw that his son's heart was still soft, and so he began to turn control of Ido castle over to Tetsuo little by little. He would not send his son to battle, but perhaps there were lessons that the young man could learn through domestic responsibility. A disrespectful guest could be a challenge as great as a rival general after all. So it was the Tetsuo, under his father's supervision, came to be the handler of all of Ido Castle's economic and domestic affairs. By age seventeen, Shingo was lord of the estate only in name and was not the least bit worried for the affairs in the event of his untimely passing. Now Tetsuo was ready for his next challenge...

"How are the preparations for the Nakashima family's visit coming?" Shingo asked.

Tetsuo replied, "We are missing only the family in question."

"That is good," his father said, and then with a subtle grin continued, "but there is one thing in the letter that I forgot to mention..." Since Tetsuo was still technically not in charge of the castle, all letters were addressed to Shingo, and in accordance with decorum he would be the one to read the letters, then simply relay the information to his son, but for the Nakashima family's letter he made an exception. "I will be entertaining Nakashima-san, as will my wife his. You are relieved of that responsibility. However, I forgot to tell you that their daughter will be accompanying them. She will be your responsibility. See to it that she is comfortable and enjoys her stay. Ah, and Nakashima-san has given you permission to court her if you wish." Shingo deliberately understated Nakashima's "permission;" in fact, the letter was an outright marriage offer, but he felt that information would make things too easy for his son. If Tetsuo was not fit for one battlefield, then he would be tried in another. Shingo had respectfully written back that they would "consider" the offer, but left the matter at that.

Tetsuo was caught completely off-guard by this information. His father had mentioned that there would be three guests, but not that a daughter would be among them. And he had permission to court her? How could his father forget such an important piece of information? It would completely change the dynamics of their acquaintance. At this point, he wouldn't even have time to prepare a proper poem! But Tetsuo refused to let himself appear flustered. "Yes father," he said quickly, bowing in acknowledgement. Then, he dared to ask a question. "Do you believe that we ought to unite the Nakashima family with ours?"

Shingo gave a small laugh in response. "I'd like to see what you think."

The Horde of Evil - Tresspassing through treacherous tribes' territory! (RP closed)

@Takashi Uhm, the clerics are already dead. Well, one of them is.

@Elitestpotato

Ah, didn't realize you were talking about the same dudes since Cyclone already wrote them inside the temple and your stuff seemed to be going on outside. Let's just say They were two different dudes so I don't have to completely rewrite all five paragraphs.

Roll to Dodge!

I disguise myself as an orc and start a labor union, then propose we go on strike against ArenaSnow unless the following demands are met: 1.) unlimited free health care 2.) Every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday 3.) An iPhone 6 for every orc with unlimited mobile data 4.) An apology for being the worst boss ever 5.) All currency within the empire shall not depict the ruler, but an orc, and all currency within the empire shall read "orcs rule."

The Horde of Evil - Tresspassing through treacherous tribes' territory! (RP closed)

Kor clenched his sword and prepared for battle as the two clerics stormed the temple. Under normal circumstances, he would immediately find a way to retreat; a pair of clerics would be troublesome and time-consuming to deal with, but given the current chaos outside he doubted that they would be getting reinforcements any time soon. Plus, the building on fire. They were men in cloth, he was a monster in armor. It didn't take a genius to figure out who would cook first.

Kor flourished his blade, but then, rather than swinging at the clerics he slashed at one of the long, burning curtains hanging from the wall. He caught the top as it fell, and after a couple of twirls of his wrist he was holding a burning whip. He walked slowly towards the clerics, letting the burning end of the curtain drag along the ground, setting the carpet and wooden benches on fire. He advanced with the flames as the clerics backed away, pointing the staves at the Darkwraith. Then one of the clerics decided to begin uttering a prayer to fight back. As soon as Kor saw the man's lip twitch he swatted at him with the curtain. Reflexively the cleric went to block with his staff, and were it a normal whip the two would have been deadlocked, but this whip was on fire, and a good amount of his staff was made of wood. Kor gave a sinister grin beneath his mask as the staff caught fire and the cleric was forced to abandon his weapon.

The second cleric was no fool though and took the opportunity to attack. He channeled a spell into his staff and lunged with a purifying strike that would annihilate any undead flesh or demonic items on contact. Kor simply raised his blade and blocked the strike. It was a shame; this cleric could have gone far as a demon slayer with that kind of power and perhaps would have become a worthy opponent for the Darkwraith one day. But alas, Kor's sword and armor were both demonic only in appearance. The more-or-less ordinary metal did not react to the spell, and Kor could easily brace himself against a single strike. He did feel a numbness rushing through his arm for being in proximity to such magic, but that could easily be dealt with. He let go of the curtain and threw what appeared to be a left hook at the cleric. Suddenly, there was a blade of tangible darkness in his hand, and then the blade was in the cleric's neck. One down, one to go.

The first cleric would not back down despite losing his weapon. Instead, he took up a fighter's stance and prepared to face the Darkwaith with unarmed combat, his fists glowing with holy energy. Kor advanced on this opponent, blade of metal in his right hand, blade of darkness in his left. The cleric was getting exhausted from the heat now and knew he would have to finish this monster fast. He dashed forward, ducking under a sword swing and put all of his holy energy into a mighty punch that would punch right through the Darkwraith's armor and tear a hole through his wretched, heartless chest. However, where the cleric expected there to be a blade, there was now a rippling, black shield. His hand struck a solid surface of an indescribable texture, and then all the cleric could do was pray.

Holy men were delicious, no doubt, but they were indeed a pain in the ass. If that punch had hit him directly it would have dealt some serious damage to him. What saved Kor was the simple fact that he had been fighting longer than this man had been alive. His reflexes were quicker, his muscles stronger. A searing pain shot through his arm as the cleric's fist struck the Dark Hand, but before the magic could do any real harm, he parried the cleric's blow, leaving him open and off-balance. Once again, the Dark Hand glowed bright red, and Kor snatched the cleric by the neck. It was over. He felt the humanity flood into his body, and this time rather than merely satiating his hunger he was able to indulge with complete lucidity in the joy that was feeding. Kor would let this one live. It would be a shallow husk of a life, but the Master did want some fodder left in tact. This cleric was no longer a threat. He could no longer cast spells or attack in any semblance of an intelligent fashion, but he was still very much alive. Even the soul was still there; it was simply bereft of all humanity.