The Black Knight
One Thousand Club
Once upon a time during the Sengoku period of Japan, a powerful enemy threatened to wipe out the Satomi clan. Closing off all supply routes to the kingdom, the Satomi people were nearly starved into extinction for their stubborn lord, Lord Yoshizane Satomi refused to surrender. With an army only strong enough to defend the castle, Lord Satomi could only sit and watch as his and his daughter's health deteriorated. Princess Fuse Satomi, in her desperation and weakened breath, begged her faithful dog Yatsufusa to save the Satomi clan by bringing her the head of the enemy commander. She lied to Yatsufusa, promising that she would marry him if he succeeded. Yatsufusa left, and hours later, returned with the commander’s head clutched by the hair between his teeth. The enemy army was forced to retreat, and the entire Satomi clan was saved.
Yatsufusa was praised and honored. The clan celebrated for days, but Yatsufusa was not happy. Angrily, Yatsufusa one day lashed out at Fuse, frightening Lord Satomi. Lord Satomi begged for her life and asked Yatsufusa why he was angry. Princess Fuse revealed it was because she had promised to marry him if he brought her the head of the enemy commander, and it was she who had ordered him to do it. She didn’t believe he would succeed, and it was a joke she had made in her last moments. Lord Satomi owed Yatsufusa for the Satomi clan’s life and honored Fuse’s promise to him. Yatsufusa and Fuse were wed in spirit, and they moved away from the castle to live on property granted by Lord Satomi. The princess was upset at first, but she remained dutiful to Yatsufusa until one day, he became plagued by evil spirits. Yatsufusa, possessed by a demon, attacked and murdered Princess Fuse. From her torn belly poured eight spirit beads that fled across Japan.
The beads formed into dog warriors called Hakkenshi. The Hakkenshi could take on the form of a dog as well as a human in the blink of an eye. Each Hakkenshi bore a birthmark somewhere on their body in the shape of a peony (the emblem of the Satomi clan). Each bead represented one of the eight fundamental virtues in Confucianism: ko (piety, devotion), gi (duty and obligation), chu (loyalty), shin (faith), tei (brotherhood), jin (sympathy, benevolence), chi (wisdom), and rei (courtesy).
The eight warriors were drawn together by fate. They formed their own band of mercenaries who thwarted evil across the land of Japan, and as the Sengoku period drew to a close, the beads decided that there was no need for them at this time. The Hakkenshi were sealed away within their beads and many years went by until modern day 2020.
In the suburbs of Tochigi, Japan, high schoolers stumble across the magic beads. A teacher at Satomi High School has been dabbling in the dark arts, and opened a hellmouth to the other side. Demons seep into Tochigi, possessing people whose hearts have a seed of darkness, and transform them into yokai. The dog warriors are awakened from their slumber, and with the help of their human lords and ladies, they quickly get acquainted with the modern world and together fight off the demonic threat.
Run-Down
This game has a very anime story line and theme. Players have a choice of playing one of the eight dog warriors (more like seven because I am taking one), or one of their human caretakers that they refer to as their lord or lady. The dog warriors can be either male or female. They can be any dog species, but I would prefer purebred and not hybrid or mutt. The type of dog chosen doesn’t give any supernatural perks.
There can be romance in this game, such as love between Hakkenshi and caretaker or Hakkenshi and Hakkenshi, and I encourage it. Because what anime doesn’t have cute dating or the dramatic love triangles? If in the case we do not get enough caretakers, then Hakkenshi can be paired under the same roof as one caretaker. That caretaker will just have more chaos to deal with. XD
Because this is, again, an anime-style RP. There is bound to be some sort of power growth for the caretakers as well, but I figure those who are dedicated and interested in this game, can brainstorm this with me. There will be a discord, so please be open and willing. If not, I can always make a PM group. No problem. The PM group works just as effectively, but please share these thoughts with me.
Hakkenshi
The Hakkenshi are demon dog warriors. They all bear a peony birthmark somewhere on their bodies, and they possess one of the eight beads that represent them. Each one has Inu somewhere in their name. People are probably wondering, “Hey, you said romance between the Hakkenshi, isn’t that incest? Aren’t they all related?” Because there wasn’t any biology involved in their creation, spiritually they can be brothers and sisters, but physically, genetically, they more than likely aren’t because there was no genetics or biology involved in their creation. It was magic and anime.
How you design your Hakkenshi warrior is up to you. I will not limit your imagination. However, there is an age restriction 14-18 because the caretakers are in high school and any older would be against the law. I understand that the anime art won’t always match the age. It is okay. Your writing and how you play them matters more. Just use the art to match what you envision.
The Hakkenshi are immortal, but they can be killed by yokai. When a Hakkenshi dies, their bead loses its glow and shatters. If we ever deal with death in the story line, we can come up with some anime-like plot to have the deceased hero resurrected somehow. Like I said, I try not to limit the plot possibilities.
When a Hakkenshi is exhausted or knocked unconscious, they revert back to their dog form. They also revert back to their dog form in death. All Hakkenshi have dog-like abilities: inhuman hearing, smell, and they can detect the presence of yokai or just bad people with wicked intentions. They can also communicate with other animals. If you want to add further dog traits and quirks in their personality and appearance, then that is up to you.
Like in an anime, Hakkenshi can leap great heights, fight on vertical surfaces, and run inhumanly quick. Each one has a unique ability that has a name. Yes, it wouldn’t be an anime without a named special ability.
The following Hakkenshi are open:
Italics means reserved and pending CS. It does not mean taken or approved. Writers are free to contest roles if they desire. Best concept chosen will be entirely subjective to GM.
Ko (piety, devotion)Gi (duty and obligation)Chu (loyalty)Shin (faith)Tei (brotherhood)Jin (sympathy, benevolence)Chi (wisdom)Rei (courtesy)
This sheet can be designed however as long as you mention the below details.
Code:
[b]Hakkenshi name:[/b] Remember, it has "inu" somewhere in it.
[b]Alias:[/b] If they were a big deal during the Sengoku era.
[b]Age:[/b] 14-18
[b]Gender:[/b] Male or Female
[b]Height:
Weight:
Hair Color:[/b] Any color because this is anime.
[b]Eye Color:[/b] Any color because this is anime.
[b]Dog Breed:
Spirit Bead:[/b] Which bead did you choose?
[b]General Appearance:[/b] What do they look like overall? Clothing? Wear any special armor? Have a favorite modern outfit?
[b]Personality:[/b] This is where you summarize their personality and mention any quirks they may have.
[b]Likes:
Dislikes:[/b]
(Background is optional. If you feel inspired to write one, you can, but if you would rather develop it as the game goes, you can do that too.)
[b]Primary Weapon:[/b] This is the weapon they are known for. This weapon more than likely has a name. If your character doesn't use a weapon, and is more of a fistfighter, then you can write "Unarmed Combat." Weapons can also be objects such as yo-yos, fans, umbrellas, samisen, flute, etc. Because this is anime. Why not? Your weapon can have a special element effect, unique appearance, etc. However, its special ability goes in the special ability section. Dual weapons count as one primary weapon.
[b]Secondary Weapon:[/b] This is a ranged weapon or off-hand weapon like a knife or shuriken.
[b]Special Ability:[/b] This is your weapon's named attack or ability. Maybe it isn't an attack? Maybe it is a shield, an illusion, a healing spell, etc. Characters can only use their special ability two times in a battle with yokai. They will have to grow stronger in order to build up the stamina to use it more often. The GM will award extra uses. Whether or not they learn a second ability depends on character development in the game. We will decide that as we go. Let's get this started first.
[b]Extra:[/b] Anything else we need to know about them? You got a battle theme for them? Any other inspirations or art? Put it here.Caretakers
The Hakkenshi would be lost and confused without their lords and ladies. The caretakers are humans who stumble across one of the eight beads. They didn't expect to suddenly be treated like a noble. They're just normal high schoolers with normal high school drama. Where did all this come from? The caretakers may not know each other at first, but their Hakkenshi will bring them together because the Hakkenshi know each other. If you choose to have you and another caretaker know each other, then that is fine as long as you communicate. The caretakers keep their Hakkenshi out of trouble and try to educate them about the modern world since the Sengoku period is long over. They follow them into battle and can summon their Hakkenshi to their side if ever they are in danger. The Hakkenshi are loyal to them and obey them much like a dog (the hand that feeds lol). If you are interested in the caretaker role, see below:
Character Sheet
Code:
[b]Character Name:[/b] More than likely a Japanese name but they can be an exchanged student! Yay!
[b]Age:[/b] 14-18
[b]Gender:[/b] Male or Female
[b]Height:
Weight:
Hair Color:[/b] Again, it's an anime.
[b]Eye Color:[/b] Again, it's an anime.
[b]Grade:[/b] 9-12
[b]Hakkenshi:[/b] Who is their Hakkenshi? They may have more than one. You can leave this blank for now until we get most of the roles. You can either pick one or I can do a randomization. I will hope that we all talk about it and decide as a democracy. XD
[b]General Appearance:[/b] What do they look like overall? Clothing, accessories, piercings, tattoos, etc.
[b]Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Talents:[/b] What are their hobbies or "talents." Art, sports, martial arts, language, science wiz, gamer, etc.
[b]Favorite Subject:[/b] This is to see if you and another caretaker have anything in common.
[b]Current Story:[/b] Do they have any plans for the next grade or after high school? How are their parents? Where do they live? Can they accommodate having a Hakkenshi?
[b]Extra:[/b] Anything else you want to add?Rules
- 200 word minimum. If you are joining this game, then you are telling me that you have a decent understanding of English grammar. It doesn't have to be perfect for no one is. I just do not want to see any half-ass posts where it looked like you one-lined. You may be writing with writers who are capable of writing over 200 words, so being able to at least write this amount is surviving for this game.
- Activity. RPN has this bad habit where people join a game, get ADHD, and then go AWOL. Or they join this game and five other games, and go AWOL. If you are no longer interested in this game, please inform me so that I can keep recycling players in and out of roles. That is the only way to survive on here with this high turnover rate. I expect players to post twice a week. If you go AWOL for 14 days without telling me anything, then I will drop you from the game. It is rude to keep everyone waiting, especially your partner.
- No means No. If I say "No" to your idea, it is more than likely for a good reason. More than likely something plot-related or I felt it would imbalance the game. If you want to have an attitude, I will not argue with you. I will tell you to leave, and if you remain, I will just report you. Plain and simple.
- No hybrids or mutts. What I mean by hybrids is like the wolf hybrid. A husky would not count as a hybrid. Mutts would be a mix between two different breeds of dogs to form a new one. Do not overthink this. I will not help you if you do. Do not defeat yourself. Keep it simple.
- One ability starting. This is one ability. Not two abilities in one such as fire and ice. Just one ability. If you choose a fire theme for example, that should be all I see.
- Collaborate and Have Fun. If you are joining this game, then you enjoy the classic anime tropes too. This game can only be fun if we all make it fun. Please join with an imagination. Do not let the GM do all the work.
Yazawa Shinu - Breed: Shiba Inu - Chu -
The Black Knight
Inutsuyo - Breed: Pomeranian - Ko -
Gundam Watcher 27
Shuzo Inugiichi - Breed: Kai Ken - Gi - @Jabu
Yoshikinu - Breed: Samoyed - Rei -
Vergaan
Ahmya Inu - Breed: Groenendael - Jin - @Schnomoah
Senchi Kogekinu - Breed: Border Collie - Chi - Vulpes Iagopus
Accepted Caretakers (6/8)
Steve Freeling - Male/16 y/o - @Steve Freeling
Kodama Shuko - Male/18 y/o -
Soviet Panda
Marcel Emerson - Male/14 y/o -
SquishCat
Saori Fujiwara - Female/17 y/o - @catburglar
Tsukuda Kana - Female/18 y/o - @FabulousTrash
Raidrier Ainsworth - Female/15 y/o -
LostHaven
Hakkenshi Reserved: Caretakers Reserved - 6:6
Q&A
Q: Is this OC or canon?
A: OC
Q: Where do I put my CS?
A: Here in the recruitment thread. Only approved CSes will go in the Character Thread.
Links
Character Thread
OOC
IC
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