Senshudan One Call For Submissions II
The Eternal Guardians
The spur trail was old and unkept. It seemed that no one had used it for quite a while. Bamboo had grown over part of the path as did pine trees that were at least a century old. Long ago, The main trail had been used by woodcutters of this valley in Ibuki Sanchi as well as travellers. Now it was used by hikers occasionally. But the spur seemed to have been forgotten.
Fortunately, they had two maps by which to navigate. One was an old acidified map, yellowing and crumbling. As with most such maps, the spatial relationships were suspect, but the landmarks were significant. The second map was nearly brand new and highly detailed with accurate measurements, provided by an ally. The stream that could be heard gurgling under the surging and fading whisper of wind through the trees was what they needed to follow. And so, this was the most logical path for the spur trail, even if it was not much of a trail anymore.
At last, the pine forest gave way to a small slight clearing around a pool. Here the spur trail ended according to the old map. Rising out of the pool and the stream volcanic rock was coated with green and brown moss and lined with a variety of ferns. Other rocks that did not now touch the stream were lined with dried moss and broad grasses or crusted with lichen of various hues. As the pair of men made their way across the stream, their footsteps ate into the undisturbed flora and even caused a thin layer of rock to crumble to dust.
A roar filled the clearing, emanating from the waterfall that fed the pool. The curtain of water split across a jutting rock up above, twisted in spirals and sprayed, then rejoined splashing over the edge. The two men stepped into the pool and then through the veil of the waterfall and into the cavern which was unexpectedly much shorter than they thought it would be due to a moss-covered solid stone wall.
It was clear that there was writing etched into the wall, but it was unreadable under the growth. Furthermore, it seemed possible that the wall was instead a door. Clearly, some magic was needed to cause the door to move. But having neither magic nor need for it, the two men simply nodded to each other as their clothing and visages dissolved into a twisted mass of seemingly charred black flesh over contorted bone. Disregarding the barrier, they walked - or rather oozed - through the stone.
The large cavern within was criss-crossed with spider webs, easily removed and brittle from the passage of time. Dust that had collected on the floor was disturbed as the Chaos Minions ambled to the center of the cavern. A curious melody, perhaps caused by wind passing through constricted rock, wafted lightly through the cavern chamber.
Sunlight from a small hole in the roof shone down upon two gray dust-covered statues in the middle of the room. Both statues faced the entrance, faced the two Chaos Minions as they approached. The first statue was of a man in a kimono, sitting with thighs upon calves. The scabbarded katana and wakizashi as well as the demeanor of his face and attentiveness marked him as a samurai. The second was of a woman in a kimono, with one foot forward and one knee down, she seemed poised with her naginata to guard the man's back - the mark of the uncommon samurai woman.
But the pair of Chaos Minions looked beyond them, beyond the small open black lacquered box with the lit incense stick protruding from black sand, to the thing that their master had sent them to retrieve. The shape of the panel painting could be seen covered by a dusty silk drape cloth. As much as their nature made them desire to destroy the statues - wither them to dust with their hands or, perhaps, smash them to pieces with their spears - they could feel the strong pull of the magic of the painting despite the shielding silk cloth that lay over it.
As the twisted pair ran to the object. As they entered the lit center of the chamber, the melody intensified so that the faint singing of children could be heard:
'ame ame fure fure kaasan ga'
But, they were intent on reaching the object that their master desired. The path of their run approached the two statues. And steadily, the singing became a clear chorus:
'Janome de omukae ureshiina'
The first statue exhaled a snort that sent the dust upon his lip and neck dispersing into the air. But the Chaos Minions did not notice for the tug of the gateway was strong. The chamber filled with the booming voices of children singing:
'Pichi pichi! Chapu Chapu! Ran RAN RAN!!'
The two twisted beings stopped suddenly as the first statue stood up in front of them, dust falling from him. The samurai brought a hand to his katana and unsheathed it in less than the blink of an eye. After a brief shimmer - the sword reflecting the sunlight shining down - he swept it quickly, firmly, and cleanly across the neck of the closest Chaos Minion.
The second Chaos Minion raised his hands to bring them down upon the samurai. But before it could complete the attack, the contorted figure was cut in twain diagonally by the smooth stroke of a naginata.
The two Chaos Minions errupted messily. charred bits of flesh and bone flew throughout the chamber then dissolved into nothingness.
Shingen, first son of a minor samurai family and friend of Minamoto Yorimitsu, sheathed his sword. Looking up at the light filtering from the hole in the roof of the cavern, he sighed. Morning in winter. He then gazed at the incense stick. It had been roughly 300 years since they awoke last. Smiling fondly, he greeted his wife and swept the dust from her changing her appearance from a gray moving statue to a lovely, slender woman in a colorful kimono decorated throughout by a scene of a man and woman on a mountain walk in the rain. Touching the back of her neck he whispered, "Ohayo gozaimasu, my beloved."
"Ohayo gozaimasu, my husband," replied Tomoe smiling in return. She dusted Shingen as he had her. His kimono was much more simple - forest green with the mon of pine trees on the left breast. She beamed, looking to the sunlight, "The children or our land... they have not forgotten the song still."
"Yes," said, Shingen, "and just as well. This time it was no mere thief that was seeking treasure. It appears that the sorceror has broken his bonds."
"He will, of course try again, now that he knows where his Gate is."
"By my life, I have pledged Yorimitsu that I will guarantee the safety of our noble land. And I will stop whatever the sorceror sends to retrieve his foul tool."
"And I will ensure your safety, my beloved." She reached her arms around her husband, embracing him firmly. "Time is fleeting."
The ancient young couple remained locked in embrace for a day, for they had promised such before the first time they went into the long sleep. Then, after a bath in the warm bubbling spring, Shingen retrieved a bottle of water and Tomoe retrieved two magically preserved rice cakes and dried smoked fish. After they ate, the couple set a new incense stick alight and planted it firmly in the black sand. Tomoe once again went to one knee, naginata ready, "Oyasuminasai, my lord. Until next we hear the song."
Shingen sat thighs over calves whispering to his wife, "Oyasuminasai, beloved."
Deep breaths slowed as they entered The Meditation that was taught to them by Seiun-sama... one breath in a second... one breath in a minute... one breath in an hour... one breath in a day... one breath in a month... one breath in a year...
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At this time, I am seeking to recruit one character to add to the Senshudan One lineup. The character needs to have some connection to history. A few ways to do this are: 1) the character is a warrior hero from Japanese legend or history (or is a reincarnation of such); 2) the character is a supernatural being from Japanese legend or history; 3) the character is one of the former Senshudan One superheroes that were presumed dead. This character should also have some knowledge of the supernatural and history, although he/she should not be a spell-caster. The character should have a well-developed skill set that doesn't overlap too much with skills of current characters.
Here is the current line-up for Senshudan One:
Ichiro - metamorph robot whose primary mission in life is to rebuild the Senshudan One team
Koorogi - cricket-powered martial artist who was changed by a scientific accident; serious detective who has regrets from the past and a pushy sister
Stuntman - tough metahuman martial artist; flashy movie stuntman who wants to be a movie star and has a kid brother with a knack for getting into trouble
Prior to preparing your character you also need to read the campaign page.
The following criteria will help your submission: fit into the part (see above), flavor (a cool power, perk, minor talent, or interesting non-combat skill), campaignability (potential plot hooks), writing quality.
Submissions should be of the following format in a .TXT, .DOC, or .RTF file or within the body of the e-mail:
Character Name
Player: Your Name
e-mail: address@server
Real Name: (alter ego)
Affiliation: Senshudan One
Hair/Eye Color:
Height/Mass: #.## Meters/# Kilograms
Nationality:
Place of Birth:
Date of Birth:
Background: (this is the most important part of the submission)
Personality:
Quote:
Appearance:
Powers: (just a description, I do not want character sheets at this time; please be sure to mention the skill set)
All submissions or questions should be sent to me at home_n@hotmail.com. I do keep summaries of past turns, so if you would like a copy of that .ZIP file, feel free to ask.
Submissions will be accepted until 2 AM Pacific Time, July 1, 2005. I will announce the selection within a day or two after that.
Thank you,
Neil/Senshudan One GM
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