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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2015 14:52:52 GMT -8
T H E · I M P E R I A L · P A L A C E  Where the Heavens Meets the EarthHigh above Mitzushima, nestled against Mt Kura, is the beautiful outline of the Imperial Palace, Where the Heavens Meet the Earth. Every ruling dynasty of Katashima has lived here, the palace even more ancient than the city beneath it. It has many buildings, many outdoor corridors and indoor corridors, and boasts gorgeous, serene gardens (as pictured). It has its own guard, separate from the city guard, and is generally well fortified and protected. The servants here are servants that have served the Empress for generations, so their loyalty is usually very high (although money works wonders). Great calligraphic works of art have been created in the Imperial Palace, and one building of the palace is entirely devoted to great treasures of Katashima. |
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Kenjin Uesung
Committed
Roleplay posts: 54 
Age: 25
Registered: Aug 12, 2015 15:08:28 GMT -8
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Post by Kenjin Uesung on Dec 22, 2015 20:54:41 GMT -8
Kenjin approaches the Imperial Palace and takes in its beauty. He is impressed by the amount of work, the attention to detail, and the absolute glory instilled within the Empress' personal home. Truly fit for a queen. But for a man as humble as Kenjin, it was a bit to much.
"I am Kenjin Uesung," he told the guards. "Please, take me to your Que-, I mean Empress." Kenjin showed them the summons and was ready to be taken before the Empress.
The warrior-monks on the Isle of Bishonton had taught Kenjin courtly methods, and as such he maintained a stature of respect and a measure of good intentions as he was taken to meet the Empress.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 22:10:53 GMT -8
The gate to the Imperial Palace was indeed ornate and grand. Golden dragons were roaring on either side, the wood and stone painted brilliantly, and the guards of the palace were outfitted beautifully.
Kenjin, and the two Shiniga samurai that accompanied him, were stopped immediately. "Your summons," asked one of the guards. He showed none of the lack of decorum that the city guard had shown. Indeed, he was straight faced and carried himself with a confidence begat from a man with experience in martial affairs.
Once they were handed to him and he read over them, he nodded and lead them through the gates and into the Grand Courtyard. Down twenty one shallow steps they walked, and then onto a red stone path towards one of the taller buildings of the ornate complex. Banners of the Imperial Family were wafting in the breeze, and huge stone statues lined the thick walk way towards another set of stairs that led upwards. To both the left and the right were blossoming trees that appeared to be sakura, but the leaves and the buds were far too red. They were set within a stone circle, and around that stone circle were ponds filled with large, thick, slow-moving koi that swam beneath floating waterlilies.
Up the steps they went, but instead of through the ornate doors that were framed between blood red pillars, the soldier turned left and walked around the building and towards a side entrance of an ornately painted silk screen. He bowed, and spoke quietly to the screen, although there appeared no one there to hear him.
Even so, the murmured words had the screen sliding back, and a beautiful woman bowed to the man on the other side. Her dark eyes glanced briefly into the face of Kenjin and gave a small, flirtatious smile, and then they glanced to the Shiniga Samurai accompanying him. She frowned. Openly.
"This way," she said to them, and led them into the building. Through a series of wooden-lined walks they went, and much of where they went, bird song seemed to follow. By the time they had gotten to a place, it was at the back south garden and they were led to a pagoda.
The Empress was sat there, a desk at its center, and gold gleamed in her hair, at her ears, at her throat. The young woman's lashes were downcast, watching her hand that seemed to languidly twirl and roam over the scroll she was painting on. One hand held her long sleeve out the way, so the naked, lily-white skin of her forearm could be seen; it's delicate bone structure, it's graceful lines.
She did not speak, or even look up to acknowledge them.
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Kenjin Uesung
Committed
Roleplay posts: 54
Age: 25
Registered: Aug 12, 2015 15:08:28 GMT -8
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Post by Kenjin Uesung on Dec 23, 2015 3:43:17 GMT -8
Kenjin enjoyed the walk through the Imperial Palace, but was ready to meet the Empress. Upon seeing the woman come through the screen, Kenjin was somewhat relieved. He attempted to bow, but the Empress began to walk away. He followed her effortlessly, taking in the surroundings. "Forgive me Empress, Daimyo Shiniga insisted the Samurai follow me. Who am I to deny them their orders? He admires you greatly, and seems loyal. But his lack of emotion was off-putting. Still, a worthy Daimyo to have at your side." He had seen beauty in its rawest form: in the form of nature, back on the Isle of Bishonton. But he had not seen beauty like this. The monks he grew up with did live in grand palaces, and this was the first time Kenjin had actually seen something so large.
Kenjin took a seat across from the Empress and watched her paint. He seemed to be entranced by the elegant strokes she made, almost as if he admired the woman. "It was no mistake summoning me here, my Empress," he said softly, still watching her paint. "I know what whispers sit on people's tongues. That I, a Uesung, son of Kagen Uesung no less, will be just as cruel and unforgiving as his forefathers. It is no surprise, and I cannot blame them. Caution is an important attribute for any man."
Kenjin sighed and looked around at the surroundings. "I must say, you live in a beautiful palace, Empress. But for a man like myself, the son of farmers-turned-tyrants, it is a bit much for me. I prefer the wide open spaces of a field. For beauty to define itself naturally rather then through the perversion of man's hands." Kenjin spoke honestly. He seemed to hold a high opinion on the purity of things, as evidenced by the white robes he had in conjunction with his armor. He looked back down at the painting. "On the Isle of Bishonton, I developed a liking for the arts. Its the colors that get to me. The ability to store beauty upon parchment is a noble and honest hobby, and one that I love to see."
Kenjin continued. "Many years ago, the Uesung Province was known for its fertility. It could feed all of Katashima, but its lords and vassals proved to belligerent to share their harvest. After my family's well-deserved downfall, the land was overrun and raped by ronin and bandits. It is rightfully mine. This, we both know. All of the Daimyo know this. And I intend to take it back. Already, my father's old samurai - no doubt deemed criminals in your domain - have rallied to my side and await my command. But I still need help. Reclaiming, fortifying, and expanding the old Uesung capital, Famu-Taun, would show my dominance in the area. The ronin there will be suppressed, and that is one more province that will be stabilized - one more province that will serve the Empire. I can offer nothing now; I have no land, no military might, and I am not a materialistic person, but one day soon I shall offer you the bounty that breeds from the fertile fields of the Uesung Province. Every fruit and vegetable known to our land shall be harvested in my fields. My koku shall be tenfold what the others could offer you." Kenjin nodded down on the paper the Empress was writing on. "I could extract even the rarest of dye that your graceful hands could illustrate upon whatever canvas you wish."
Kenjin then continued. He did not want to flatter the Empress to much, but at the same time he wanted her to know he meant well. "And from my port-town, Tagebusa, I can ship the surplus food to every fief under your domain. Katashima will never have to fear a shortage of food again. I am a man of humble intentions; a mere farmer who was raised a samurai, and is destined to become a Daimyo. My father may have been a tyrant, but I shall be no such thing. The monks of Bishonton have showed me my destiny, and it is one of noble intentions. Please, Empress, I am at your mercy."
Kenjin wanted to give the Empress some sort of leverage - some sort of collateral. So he removed the Tachi no Akuma from his back - sheath and all. The long odachi, legendary as it was, seemed to hum with energy. "The Sword of the Demon, Empress. Yours to keep, for as long as you need to, as a sign of trust. Careful, for the weapon's hilt, sheath, and blade burns the skin of anyone not meant to wield it if you hold it too long." The blade was responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people; it was stained with the blood of the Empress' ancestral armies. For Kenjin to actually give it away like he was, was truly an act of submission.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 22:16:23 GMT -8
The woman that he first encountered behind the screen was only a servant who led Kenjin towards the Empress, so when he began speaking in earnest to her, the woman merely glanced over her shoulder with an incredulous look and then hurried to take the talking man towards the Empress. The Empress was sat in the pagoda, painting upon her canvas, her brushes laid out to the side, two lacquer wooden cases -- one for her brushes, one for her pigments -- nearby. Her brush stroked with precision and effortless talent over the scroll, and she did not look up while Kenjin spoke. And spoke, and spoke. Finally, her hand went still, and she raised her eyes from her scroll to the sword that was being offered to her. "Do not give that sword into my care," the Empress spoke, her voice calm and quiet and serious, the first words she ever spoke to Kenjin, "or I will order it destroyed." She set her brush to the side, then reached for a cloth that was kept damp and wiped her fingers upon it. The black and deep, deep pink she was using for her painting were smeared onto the cloth, and still stained her slender, ivory fingertips. Her gaze was on her hands, and not yet on Kenjin. "If I believed that the sins of the father carry onto the child, I would not be Empress," she spoke. "Even so, my father's legacy was in wiping out the Uesung Clan, and the Uesung Clan has a notorious history for unspeakable cruelty and evil." She finally lifted her dark gaze to look across the way at the white-draped Kenjin Uesung. The Empress was beautiful, but there were many beautiful women in Katashima. What made the Empress stand out was that she carried herself entirely as if she deserved to be an Empress; there was a confidence and political wisdom that defied her age, easily sensed in the way she held her elegant shoulders, in the somewhat haughty tip of her chin, and the direct, piercing gaze of her dark eyes. "It also does not please me that you seek to hold a monopoly on all grown food in Katashima. After all, money only makes a man wealthy. Resources makes a man powerful." She reached for a little shovel of a pot of sand, and she began to pour it over her work, effectively drying the ink and picking up whatever was left over so that it would not smear. Her gaze was once more on her task. "I will not pardon the members of the Uesung Clan that still live and rally to your cause. They are criminals, and they have lost all honor. I can say with most deep assurance that if they ever step foot in the open in Katashima, one, or all, of the daimyo will make it their prerogative to kill them." She lifted her scroll out of the sand, and then she gave it to Kenjin. "In short, Uesung Kenjin, you have set yourself up for an impossible task."  |
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Shiniga Clan
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Roleplay posts: 31
Registered: Dec 21, 2015 18:29:56 GMT -8
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Post by Shiniga Clan on Dec 24, 2015 6:52:00 GMT -8
The samurai were definitely on watch at this point. They had been present for the rambling of Uesung, smirking beneath their masks at the words of the empress. They loved nothing more than to see the empress express her power in such direct ways; it generally meant business for the Shiniga Clan. For now, the Shiniga Samurai were aware and ready to strike or defend; they knew such words would upset anyone.
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Kenjin Uesung
Committed
Roleplay posts: 54
Age: 25
Registered: Aug 12, 2015 15:08:28 GMT -8
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Post by Kenjin Uesung on Dec 24, 2015 7:51:41 GMT -8
"A monopoly," Kenjin asked wondrously. "A monopoly would indicate I control all of Katashima's food. That could never the case unless I was Shogun - or Emperor. And those are titles I would never try to claim. My lands are fertile, that's common knowledge. I merely sought to give that food to everyone in Katashima." Kenjin did not speak accusatory, or angrily, he was still calm and honest.
Kenjin stood up and put the sword back on his back; there was not many ways to destroy the blade, and to do so would have to be by divine power. "But if that is how you feel, Empress," he said calmly, "then I understand. I shall take my leave and seek help elsewhere. One day soon the people in the Uesung Province will call me Daimyo."
Kenjin bowed courtly, turned, and left the Imperial Palace, leaving the samurai and the Empress behind.
<exit>
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Shiniga Clan
Established
Roleplay posts: 31
Registered: Dec 21, 2015 18:29:56 GMT -8
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Post by Shiniga Clan on Dec 24, 2015 12:52:21 GMT -8
One of the Shiniga samurai departed minutes behind Uesung. He didn't have to be given exact orders, he knew that if Uesung needed to be escorted, then Ryuk wanted him watched. This specific samurai would spy from a safe distance.
The other Shiniga Samurai bowed to the Empress, "Mighty Empress, we apologize for being here, but Daimyo Ryuk did not trust the man for some reason. I hope we did not offend you by escorting the man here."
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2015 22:09:29 GMT -8
" Kenjin Uesung , I did not say our conversation was over," the Empress said, looking at Kenjin steadily. She then turned very pointedly to the Shiniga Clan Samurai. "Tell Daimyo Ryuk that he oversteps his bounds. Uesung Kenjin was invited to the palace as a guest, not as a criminal. Leave us." The Empress pushed up from her desk and moved around towards Kenjin. "I want to know the details of your plan. Not the over all, broad picture. I want specifics. I want business. I want numbers. Hopes are for children and poets; I want the words of a man seeking a place among the daimyo." She fell in step behind him, and was leading the duo towards the paths that wound around the large lotus pond. |
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Kenjin Uesung
Committed
Roleplay posts: 54
Age: 25
Registered: Aug 12, 2015 15:08:28 GMT -8
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Post by Kenjin Uesung on Dec 25, 2015 5:57:20 GMT -8
Before Kenjin had left, he continued to speak with the Empress. "Apologies, Empress; understand I have only been here a short while, and I don't like the idea of stepping on people's feet," he said, explaining his temptation to not get involved in political matters. "If someone can just help me get rid of the ronin and vagrants in the Uesung province, bring law, order and stability there, I shall invite Katashimans from all over and have them till my fields. That is all I want. A few hundred soldiers form the Empress, or from the other Daimyo is all I require. I can take care of the rest."
"Any help should meet at the ronin encampment in my lands. There, you will meet my samurai commander, Hametsu. Once all of my help arrives, we will liberate Famu-Taun, and then Tagebusa. Garrisons in both of those major centers will assert dominance in the Uesung Province and attract migrants."
Kenjin paused for another moment. "Oh, and one more thing. The samurai under my command are criminals of the Empire, having served for my father, Lord Kagen, over two decades ago. But they'll be all the samurai I have. If they pledge their loyalty to me, and to the Empire, would you grant them amnesty?"
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Shiniga Clan
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Roleplay posts: 31
Registered: Dec 21, 2015 18:29:56 GMT -8
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Post by Shiniga Clan on Dec 25, 2015 17:36:31 GMT -8
The Samurai had not been fully dismissed, but he knew not to follow the two. They listened till they could listen no more. Once the two were out of earshot, the Samurai looked around the chamber and left.
The Samurai didn't like what he heard, and he would definitely return to Ryuk with the request Kenjin was making.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2015 19:18:52 GMT -8
"You are too hasty," the Empress said to Kenjin when he apologized. She looked over at the Shiniga Samurai and stared at them. She HAD ordered them to leave, they HAD been dismissed. But they stayed. And it was the arrogance of the Shiniga name, she knew. They followed their Daimyo before they followed her, and that annoyed the Empress. Even so, the Shiniga were a clan that had always been true and loyal allies, if too brash, bold, and uncalculated. She would have to meet with Daimyo Ryuk, and soon, and she would have to be most delicate with what she intended to say to him.
As they walked, she listened to his wants and his needs. The silk of her kimono and sashes quietly whispered as it dragged along the ground behind her, the sun gleaming off of her black hair.
"You must realize the political hardship such a request puts on me," she told Uesung. "I cannot afford to undermine the daimyo of Katashima, as much as they would leap at the chance to undermine me. Destroying your clan and your father was a mark of honor for all of them. They believe that they swept evil from their lands."
She walked a little further, and then shook her head. "I can give you men to help police your lands," the Empress told Kenjin. "But be warned that their loyalty is to me. They are my mine. They will take your orders concerning some matters, but others will have to wait for a response from me. As for giving your father's men amnesty, I cannot. Your father and his men did unspeakable and heinous actions amongst their peers, their betters, and their lowers."
She turned her head to look at Kenjin. "Not all ronin are without honor. Some are just without a master. Perhaps you could try looking among the number for men worthy of the samurai name. In short, Uesung Kenjin, I advise you not to simply bring glory BACK to a name so sullied, but to reinvent your name."
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Kenjin Uesung
Committed
Roleplay posts: 54
Age: 25
Registered: Aug 12, 2015 15:08:28 GMT -8
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Post by Kenjin Uesung on Dec 26, 2015 8:16:30 GMT -8
Kenjin paid no attention to the Shiniga samurai, but instead listened to the wisdom of the Empress. "You are wise, my Empress. I know many of noble birth are well-learned... but I did not expect to find such wisdom in you. Truly, you are a worthy leader for these lands."
Kenjin thought about what the Empress said. She was indeed true about what Kenjin's father did, and what the men beneath him did. He sighed, because deep down he knew his family was a horrid one. But like the Empress suggested, he sought to 'reinvent' the Uesung name.
"Some Imperial presence in my land will do," Kenjin agreed. "I had not considered political implications, Empress," Kenjin said, looking down in wonder. "No offense, but I would have thought the Empress could keep her Daimyo in line." Truly, Kenjin meant no offense, despite his comment sounding somewhat insulting. "If there are signs of malcontent in your lands, then you should stomp them out - with diplomacy first, and force second. Perhaps Daimyo Ryuk, of the Shiniga clan, could assist you with that; he seems rather protective over you. I can provide you with no forces, but in due time I can supply the food for your forces, if required. Of course, I'm not looking to goad anyone into a full-blown war... what am I saying? I'm no war councilor, forgive me for overstepping my boundaries. For a man who's never killed anyone, why should I provide advice for killing?"
"As for the ronin in my land, I have no doubt many would swear loyalty to me, as some already have. But, if they're not given amnesty, they will remain criminals. There may come a day when your allies march into my lands, once again, in order to vanquish the 'evil ronin'," Kenjin spoke in defense of his father's samurai. "It is a shame my father's orders stained the honor of his samurai... but they followed orders, as I expect all samurai to do. They were loyal to the end, even though that didn't like what they had to do. It is as the Shiniga samurai, who are impressively loyal to Daimyo Ryuk. That is something I admire."
Kenjin put his arm forward so as to let the Empress see his sleeve. Emblazoned upon the white cloth was a purple image: the ensign of the Uesung, as the Empress would know. "No longer do I carry the wicked black and blood red banners of my ancestors, but the white and purple image of my own self: for purity and honesty." Indeed, the white of the symbol was to symbolize purity in both mind, body, and spirit. As only warrior-monks inhabited the Isle, Kenjin never killed anyone, and he had remained a virgin his entire life; he was one with himself, blocking out all hatred and lacked any sort of vengeance. "My lands will be as pure as I am, Empress," he said calmly and honestly.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2015 9:52:48 GMT -8
She went very quiet when Kenjin insulted her, very still as she no longer walked. She lifted her face to look at him, her dark eyes steady. They glanced briefly down at his sleeve as he showed her the symbol of the Uesung Clan.
"Did the monks on your isle advise you to watch your tongue?" she wondered, eyes with dark secrets and sins, snapping back up to his face. "What a childhood you must have had, raised on an island far away from here, with tranquil monks as your tutors. The easier choice for me to make, Uesung Kenjin, is to allow the Shiniga Clans, and truly many, many other clans, to roust the Uesung from Katashima again. Instead, I make the choice to help you, knowing that I will receive backlash from it. The least you could do for me is regard thought to your words before you speak them. After all, once your words have been spoken, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten."
A clerk came upon them and bowed low, so their forehead touched the ground. "Rise," she told the servant, and he lifted his head. "Your Divine Highness, the Master of the Treasurey seeks your presence."
The Empress turned back to Kenjin. "I will help you. Have a scroll sent to my apartments with exact numbers and needs before the day's end. I do not want to regret my decision." She bowed her head to Kenjin with respect, the jewelry in her hair chiming as she did so.
Then, she turned and followed the clerk to her next appointment of the day. A female servant, the same pretty one that had led Kenjin from the inside of the palace to the Lotus Lake, came up to Kenjin, a little smile on her mouth that warmed her eyes as she bowed forward and handed him a scroll.
"My Divine Lady gifts you with a painting," she told Kenjin. It was the same painting she had been working on when Kenjin had arrived. "Shall I escort you to the palace gates?" she asked of him. It was obvious that it would be her pleasure to do so.
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