Arena of the Armoured Kaiju (11th)
Factions & NPCs
Wherever there are people, they like to make groups. I'm not part of those groups, and that's fine. I have my group, and they're exactly where I want them: several days away and reachable only by written correspondence.
This chapter is entirely optional; if you already have factions and nonplayer characters (NPCs), use them! However, if you'd like an easy way to add depth and nuance to the adventures presented in this book, read on. This chapter details five factions, their history and goals, as well as the types of quests they ask of adventurers: adventure hooks! Each faction has a signature NPC, the individual through which the faction interacts with the party. Moreover, each NPC has motives and fears that your players can discover as they get to know them. The five factions are:
- College of Hanabi
Technologists and engineers.
- Heirs of Kirin
Aid workers and healers.
- Rising Blossoms
Rebels against the class system.
- Silk Purse
Bureaucratic puppeteers with political influence.
- The Chroniclers
Researchers and record keepers.
These five factions are designed to integrate with whatever world you have created, be it multiple city-states, a sprawling kingdom, anarchic wilds, or an intrigue-filled democracy. The factions are known across the Yokai Realms, though their NPC affiliations—especially in the case of Chūji of the Rising Blossoms—may be a secret.
NPC Statblocks
Should you wish to equip the NPCs presented in this chapter with full stat blocks, you can use appropriate statistics from Appendix C of Ryoko's Guide. Bombuku can use the pyrotechnic; Captain Totsuka, the yojimbo knight; Chūji Firestarter, the ronin scarred or skeletal warblade; Agent Nishikibe, the shinobi adept; and Ryoko, the caller of destruction.
Adventure Hooks
Each adventure in this book has five hooks—situations you can present to your players to spark their interest in undertaking the quest. Each hook represents one of the factions' interests in the area where the adventure takes place, and you can use that faction's unique NPC as the quest giver. In this way, the NPCs can become recurrent characters in your campaign, celebrating with your players in their success and commiserating with them when they fail.
Compensation, Curiosity, & Morality
Adventure hooks are categorised into one of three values: compensation, curiosity, and morality. Player characters (and even the players themselves) tend to be motivated to different degrees by these three values. Identifying which of these motivates your players and/or their characters is an important step in getting player buy-in and helping them feel connected to the story you create together.
Morality is the value of doing good for the sake of making the world better. Feeding starving villagers, saving stranded monks, and otherwise helping those in need falls into this category. Curiosity is a desire to know more about the world. The motivation behind this can vary: a wizard may want to find new branches of magic, an orphan may wish to discover the secrets behind their parents' demise, and a visitor to the Realms may simply wish to learn of its history. Compensation represents an exchange of goods or services, as is typical of mercenaries, couriers, or assassins. Each hook, regardless of category, can come with a monetary reward, but compensation hooks typically use the reward as the main motivation.
College of Hanabi
A step, no matter how small, is progress.
The current-day College of Hanabi would be almost unrecognisable to its founders. Originally conceived as both a school and guild for pyrotechnicians, the college closely guarded the mysteries of fireworks. Its roster of alumni quickly grew in size as alchemists, tinkerers, and inventors of all descriptions sought to harness explosives for means other than to dazzle and enchant. Before long, the college became a hub of invention and progress, with departments for metallurgy, chromamancy, and arcanomechanics at the forefront of magical and technological development.
Past Actions
In its early days, bards of the College of Hanabi were employed by rulers of all descriptions, from emperors to village elders. Their magic-infused light shows could depict ships floundering on roiling oceans, the roar of epic battles and scent of blood, or the tenderest moment between parent and child. Most recently, the invention of fully functional prostheses capable of replacing lost limbs has, with the help of the Heirs of Kirin, aided those wounded by rampaging kaiju and other calamities.
Goals
Progress, above all, is the watchword of the Council of Deans. With new technology comes investment, which begets more invention. Nominally, the college's guiding principle is the implementation of arcane discoveries in novel, practical applications to better the lives of all creatures across the Realms. However, more recently, its decisions have been made with the goal of maintaining its position as the most prestigious institution in the Realms by whatever means necessary.
Adventure Hooks
Fulfilling the adventure hooks given by Bombuku and the College of Hanabi results in the technological advancement of the Realms. Improved prostheses; yokai-imbued items that improve trade, espionage, industry, and warfare; and a myriad of delightful, wondrous items can appear in your world with each completed hook. As a counterpoint, a movement against "yokai entrapment" can arise, providing an antagonist to the new technology.
Bombuku
- Names
Bombuku, Copperpot, Professor, Dean
- Faction
College of Hanabi
- Primary Quest Driver
Curiosity
- Secondary Quest Driver
Morality
Professor Minimoto "Copperpot" Bombuku is the Dean of Arcanomechanics at the College of Hanabi, whose research currently focuses on yokai infusion, coercion, and placation. He is a tanukin (see Heliana's Guide) inventor responsible for the creation of fully functional prostheses and their magically infused variants—inventions lauded by the Heirs of Kirin. He is a distant cousin of the famed inventor L'Arsene Upin, a connection that stems to before the divergence between tanukin and urkin.
Personality
Like many tanukin, Bombuku has a penchant for mischief, greeting folks with electrified handshakes, detachable prosthetic hands, and mistaking the least important clerk of the group as its leader, much to the chagrin of self-important Silk Purse representatives. He is subject to hyper focus, often forgetting to eat unless his staff—a loyal and highly skilled group of scholars—strategically place lunches in his path. He is frequently startled out of his brow-furrowing ponderings whenever a visitor knocks on his door, and he pursues the most unusual habits during college meetings to keep his mind focused: from playing with kendama to practicing yoga to shooting his slingshot.
Appearance
Three and a half feet tall, Bombuku is often seen sporting goggles, a leafy headdress, and a tool belt filled with all manner of flasks, instruments, and magical contraptions. He wears practical, hard-wearing green robes and is never without his wide-brimmed bamboo kasa when venturing outdoors. If he's expecting to work, he may be followed by a levitating toolbox or by scholars piloting the experimental strength-enhancing exosuits that are the current focus of their yokai-infusion studies.
Speech & Mannerisms
Professor Bombuku's voice is high-pitched, and he has a habit of chewing on the first sound of a sentence as he organises his thoughts. His speech is precise and stretches from the crass to the eloquent. He is as likely to say "well that's a pile of shit" as "I believe the amplitude of the oscillations was augmented by constructive interference. That is to say, it went boom."
Desires & Motives
Bombuku's current goal is to craft devices that can help rescue stranded people after environmental catastrophes. He sees arcanomechs—strength-enhancing exosuits—as one possible tool and is looking for a means to power them, whether it's bottled lightning or by coaxing friendly yokai into inhabiting the suit. His home village was levelled by a landslide that the Silk Purse attributed to a kaiju's passing shaking the earth; this is the basis of his motivation to make such exosuits.
Bombuku encourages any attempt at artifice or enchantment he encounters. He reacts positively when presented with unusual magic items or monster components, and will often purchase them for further study. He respects intelligence, actions that benefit those in need, and a good prank.
Fears & Deterrents
Bombuku fears that weapons of war may be crafted from his inventions, increasing suffering throughout the Realms. Since he views the Silk Purse as effective despite their self-serving interests, he cannot bring himself to supply rebels of the Rising Blossoms with anything that could be remotely weaponised.
He is unimpressed by those who take themselves too seriously, a facet that endears him to his subordinates and that some of his fellow deans view as rude. He holds selfish acts in contempt and has a disdainful attitude towards matters of religion. He has no time for pomp and ceremony and is often found fixing a tool or toy under his robes at such events.
Relationships
Detailed in this section are Bombuku's views on each of the factions, including the relationship between himself and his own faction, the College of Hanabi.
College of Hanabi
Bombuku has little time for his stuffy dean colleagues, but he admires the institution as a whole for its ability to get him what he needs in order to do what he's best at: inventing. As one of the college's most prolific inventors, his creations generate a sizable income for the organisation. His irreverence is viewed as an eccentric quirk by his superiors—an excusable flaw given the benefits he brings.
Heirs of Kirin
After the Heirs stepped in to rescue Bombuku's kith and kin after a landslide years ago, he trusts the Heirs to use his inventions only for good. He views them as a great resource to test new technology, especially prostheses, in the field. The course of his studies is influenced by Captain Totsuka's advice and feedback on what would be useful.
Rising Blossoms
While the College of Hanabi has no overt support for the Rising Blossoms (which would surely jeopardise Silk Purse funding), many of its researchers give support in secret. Like these scholars, Bombuku passes on old prototypes and tools he thinks may be of benefit to the Blossom's humanitarian efforts, but he is careful to stop short of any technology he fears could be used to cause harm.
Silk Purse
These self-important industrialists are a necessary evil; they deal with the bureaucracy of supply lines so that invention can happen. Unlike his more gullible colleagues, Bombuku doubts whether the Silk Purse has the workers' best interests at heart. He searches for project funding outside of Silk Purse grants and bursaries, and he does not much like Nishikibe.
The Chroniclers
Like most members of the college, Bombuku is interested in technology from the far corners of the world. He is working on long range communication devices that would allow chroniclers to report back their findings from far afield. He also appreciates their objective record keeping of all events; truth is the most important tool towards progress!
Bombuku
Humanoid (Tanukin), Inventor, He/Him
Personality
Intelligent, distractible, jocular, irreverent
Appearance
Short, wide-eyed, wears stained green robes
Desire
To invent tools that will better the Realms.
Fear
That his inventions could be turned into weapons of war.
Wuagh! You frightened me, announcing yourself like that...
Heirs of Kirin
The hardest fight is the one without violence.
The kirin's head that is the symbol of the Heirs is a welcome sight in the aftermath of any disaster. It brings the promise of food, shelter, and the support of folk with no other motive than to reduce suffering. More than that, their arcanomechanics can redevelop lost infrastructure, improving the quality of life beyond that which came before. They are a force for good, physicians and engineers that bring help across borders, volunteers whose golden, kirin crest is a light in the darkness.
Past Actions
With the increasing prevalence of kaiju over the past years, the Heirs are working harder than ever. They are the disaster relief that digs trapped villagers out of landslides. They are the forest planters that renature denuded hillsides, ensuring a heavy rain doesn't become a flash flood. They are travelling medics who bring relief to far-flung villages, treating everything from korori pox to shell rot. They are stretched thin and in need of support now more than ever.
Goals
The Heirs have three goals. The first is to reduce suffering. The second is to fight without violence. And the third is to teach people so that they can support, nourish, and heal themselves. Their core belief is that each good deed creates a ripple that begets more good deeds. With enough time and effort, that ripple will cross the world and become a wave of kindness and gratitude
Adventure Hooks
Each of the Heirs' hooks in this book revolves around preventing suffering. Their hooks are intrinsically moral and an effective way of encouraging empathetic players to follow them. If a way to change the system for the better could be found—one that doesn't cause more hardship in the process—the Heirs of Kirin would surely support it.
Captain Totsuka
- Names
Seigyō Totsuka, Seggy (to close friends), Totsuka, Captain
- Faction
Heirs of Kirin
- Primary Quest Driver
Morality
- Secondary Quest Driver
Curiosity
Once a paladin of the Oath of Honour, captain Totsuka now carries a greatsword only for ceremonial purposes. She operates semi-autonomously, travelling to the latest catastrophe where they set up the aid mission, before moving on to the next disaster. She is often accompanied by three small clay companions with the joyful demeanour of children: Kinji, Ginji, and Dohji. She is remarkable among the haniwa for being the only individual able to have three such Constructs exist simultaneously.
Personality
Calm and gracious, Totsuka is utterly impervious to intimidation or coercion. She observes those with whom she interacts with keen perception and insight. In just a few moments, Captain Totsuka has the ability to see the thread of the past in a person's behaviour, finding the 'why' in a person's actions, and then make space for that person to be vulnerable. She judges the behaviour rather than the person. Though she always speaks against injustice, her confrontations rarely incite defensiveness, instead encouraging a perpetrator to see the error in their actions.
Appearance
Captain Totsuka is a large haniwa, standing at over 7 feet tall. Her grey, clay skin is shot with veins of gold—healed wounds that stories say Totsuka gained while defending an ancient goldenheart oak tree from loggers. She wears robes of white trimmed with gold, the colours of the Heirs, and adorns her body with turquoise jewelry.
Speech & Mannerisms
Totsuka listens far more than she speaks. When she does speak, it is with a rich bass that commands attention. Her words are seldom trivial and always cut to the core of the matter at hand. In an army, she would be respected by superiors and subordinates alike. While listening, she will offer a seat and tea, anticipating the needs of those with whom she speaks well in advance of them becoming needs.
Desires & Motives
The Heirs' goals align closely with Totsuka's: to save those in need and spread peace and harmony. She takes great pleasure in supporting those whoteach others, for the ability to learn is what separates Humanoids from Beasts.
She responds positively to those who share their knowledge and time and is happy to supply anyone who acts for the betterment of others with rations or even potions of healing. She values nonjudgement, patience, and complex musical rhythms that can be felt through the earth.
Fears & Deterrents
Totsuka has a profound and existential fear that she is simply a cog in a machine where suffering is inevitable. She sees herself as the balm that soothes an injury rather than the practice that prevents the wound. She worries that, when her life fades and she becomes nothing more than inanimate pottery, her sacrifice will not have changed the nature of the Realms.
Though slow to judge, she does not encourage hedonism, seeing in it a slippery slope to excess and dissatisfaction. This creates a gap in understanding between Totsuka and her subordinates who, after days spent helping the sick and injured, might blow off some steam and engage in some revelry. She sees greed, hate, and laziness as traits to contemplate and, if possible, fix.
Relationships
Here is Captain Totsuka's opinion of each faction, including of her own faction, the Heirs of Kirin
Heirs of Kirin
She is endlessly grateful for the competence and generosity of her colleagues. She feels that life is a daily scramble from disaster to disaster and that her brothers and sisters are stretched thin. She wishes the organisation would stop, take stock of its actions so far, and work out a route to foment more permanent change.
College of Hanabi
The creations of these genius minds are phenomenal, allowing Totsuka and her colleagues to do more than ever before. But they are still just bandages for the wounds the world suffers. Totsuka hopes that if the College's creations can do the work of the common man, everyone can live without suffering.
Rising Blossoms
Totsuka believes the Blossoms' aims are right but their means are wrong. There are dangerous individuals among them—people with influence who could cause more suffering in their righteous anger. Though she does not know if Chūji is a member, conversations they have shared have given the haniwa the idea that they might have leanings towards the cause. If this is true, she believes Chūji holds an ember that could become a wildfire if pushed the wrong way, or be snuffed out if they lose interest.
Silk Purse
Order is not a bad thing, and Totsuka is no stranger to the roads and wayhouses that the Silk Purse keeps safe. However, their tendency to reduce people and events to numbers is demeaning and dangerous in her eyes.
The Chroniclers
Why are the kaiju rampaging? Is this part of the cycle of the Realms? Or is something else amiss? Perhaps The Chroniclers' historiomancy—a burgeoning branch of divination magic—can reveal the truth of the matter and provide a path to cutting off these kaiju-related disasters at their core.
Captain Totsuka
Construct (Haniwa), Healer, She/Her
Personality
Gentle, perceptive, determined
Appearance
Large, grey clay with veins of gold, white and gold robe
Desire
To alleviate suffering.
Fear
That her actions are a bandage and do not treat the root infection.
Watch out! Oh don't worry, I have to repair the playful little things daily
Rising Blossoms
We will bloom.
A grassroots organisation of disconnected cells and discontented people, the Rising Blossoms are the least powerful and fastest-growing faction in the Realms. With each kaiju disaster and each Silk Purse bridge toll, more find themselves swayed by propaganda of the Blossoms' travelling insurrectionists. In basements, caves, and deep woods, folk gather and voice their anger at the perceived inequities of the world. The Blossoms' spokespeople hear this and promise that a time of change will come soon, telling their audience to be ready when it does.
Past Actions
The Blossoms work in secret, each member only knowing a few others. So far, they have gathered supplies and built deep bases, readying themselves for armed conflict should that arise. More broadly, they seek out injustice, especially that of the Silk Purse, and spread the embellished stories throughout the Realms. It is a powerful, if dangerous, tactic. Those folk too fired up by the Blossoms' propaganda have become outlaws, raiding trade caravans under the Blossoms' black and pink banner.
Goals
When the Egregious Emperors were overthrown centuries ago (see Rise of the Living Fortress), the people missed the chance to throw off the yoke of hierarchy and rank. Now it is the purple ribbon of the Silk Purse that strangles the common man, and it's time it was overthrown properly. Local governments should be transparent, communities should have the right to self-determination, and the individual's access to the means of production is paramount. The Blossoms seek to mobilise the people of the Realms and find allies in positions of influence.
Adventure Hooks
The Rising Blossoms' adventure hooks often oppose those of the Silk Purse and work towards gaining resources to help in an unspecified upcoming conflict. Each quest hook fulfilled in the Blossoms' favour moves them a step closer to open rebellion. This book, Wrath of the Kaiju, does not tell you what happens if they rebel. Instead, it is a great way to build tension throughout your campaign and develop a finale of your own creation.
Chūji Firestarter
- Names
Chūji Firestarter, Highness Firestarter, Firebrand
- Faction
Rising Blossoms
- Primary Quest Driver
Morality
- Secondary Quest Driver
Compensation
Chūji is a sheep in wolf 's clothing. As a young boy, Chūji's father was killed in a freak farming accident when strict quotas caused the foreman to cut corners. Chūji's family struggled and, as a teen, Chūji was caught stealing food several times and eventually sentenced to death. But this was not the end; a member of the Blossoms saw in Chūji the spark of rebellion and had a druid reincarnate them. Chūji's soul, which had once occupied the body of a halfling male, found life again as a nishikin female
Chūji's handler in the Rising Blossoms orchestrated the assassination of a family of wealthy nishikin nobles and forged papers showing Chūji to be their only heir. They were subjected to a strict regimen, learning noble etiquette and language, kendo and archery, and economics and tactics. In a short time, they acquired the skills required to blend in as a noble of the Realms and attended a boarding school where they ingratiated themself with the cream of the aristocratic crop.
After graduating at the top of their class and gaining renown as a katana master and tactical genius, they have been sought after by nobles hoping to include them in their retinue. They are the perfect inside person for the Rising Blossoms and use their position and prestige to secretly further the rebels' aims. Only four people know of Chūji's origins: their handler; Zixl, the druid who reincarnated them; their friend and fellow noble, Akio; and their bodyguard, Paxau.
Personality
The epitome of charisma, Chūji is a natural leader, able to charm young and old alike. They fully inhabit the role of carefree noble, though their mind constantly assesses how their current position could benefit the common person. They are approachable and thoughtful but can become a militaristic tactical commander at the flip of a switch. Those who went to school with Chūji talk of their blood-crazed kendo duels and utter ruthlessness in simulated battlefield manoeuvres. Though they don the airs of the high and mighty, they act generously towards the common folk whenever they think they're not being watched.
Appearance
CaAn androgynous nishikin with white and red mottled scales, Chūji's muscular physique is hidden beneath the expensive robes they wear. They often carry a katana and wear the ring of their house within the boarding school: the House of Raijū. They are often accompanied by Paxau, an enormous haniwa who acts as Chūji's most trusted friend and bodyguard.
Speech & Mannerisms
Chūji has an easy way with words, using the accent and slang of the noble youths to crack jokes and put people at ease. Their movements have a measured, senatorial demeanour, a facet that is completely lost during a fight. In combat, they are rage incarnate, possessing a fury that could put the most cantankerous Kaiju barbarian to shame.
Desires & Motives
On the one hand, Chūji wants revenge, for the noble caste to be torn down. On the other hand, they know that a more gradual and peaceful transition will be better for all concerned. They collect information for their handler, and they hire freelance adventurers to find discoveries that might help the Blossoms' forthcoming rebellion.
They value loyalty above all else, but skill with weapons or magic will also catch their attention. Chūji always notices people who display a kind disposition towards one's inferiors, seeing this as the sign of a potential future ally.
Fears & Deterrents
Chūji is not afraid their true identity will be discovered—they long to be able to show their true self—but they do fear that if this comes at an inopportune time, the Rising Blossoms may suffer. Their greatest fear is that, should an armed rebellion occur, civilisation as it is now known will crumble, and the Realms will descend into warring states, where the lowly still suffer.
A surefire way to earn Chūji's displeasure is to treat another person as less-than-humanoid; they detest cruelty in all its forms.
Relationships
Below are Chūji's views of each of the factions, including of their own faction, the Rising Blossoms.
Rising Blossoms
This clandestine organisation is as much of a mystery to Chūji as it is to anyone else. They know only three members of the organisation: Akio, Zixl, and their handler, and they trust them implicitly. They worry that the Rising Blossoms do not have full control of their organisation, but they have been reassured that those who act in the Blossoms' name and raid trading caravans and wayhouses are misguided and being dealt with.
College of Hanabi
Though Chūji does not move in academic circles often, they have been impressed by the stories of Bombuku's philanthropic acts through conversations with Captain Totsuka. They are not as confident as Totsuka that technological advancement will help the common man; their time among the nobility has left them with little doubt that the upper classes will be the ones in control of such inventions. Chūji gathers whatever crumbs of new inventions they can find through their patrons' connections with the College, passing them to their handler.
Heirs of Kirin
If there is anyone Chūji wants to tell of their true identity, it is Captain Totsuka. They see the similarities in goals of the Blossoms and Heirs, though Chūji does not share the captain's belief that it can be achieved nonviolently. Chūji makes a habit of meeting as many members of the Heirs of Kirin as possible, scoring each one's likelihood to aid with logistics and medicine in a war.
Silk Purse
This is the enemy. Not the bureaucrats who push paper and collect their paychecks, but the puppeteers whose smallest movements spread ripples of inequality throughout the Realms. Chūji studies the nobles around them, always trying to ascertain who is responsible for the organisation's actions.
The Chroniclers
Chūji has met Ryoko of The Chroniclers several times and is impressed by her forthrightness and her books. Though, through their breakneck education, Chūji learnt that history is written by the victors, they aren't sure if The Chroniclers will ever find something that can be used for the Blossoms' aims. That being said, when Ryoko told Chūji the stories of Tetsumine Basin and the powerful crossbows found there, the noble started to get a few ideas.
Chūji Firestarter
Humanoid (Nishikin), Noble, They/Them
Personality
Charming, inspiring, strong
Appearance
Muscular, dresses in pinks and purples, white and red skin colouration
Desire
To build a more egalitarian society.
Fear
That all they will achieve is to break civilization.
Have you ever met Ryoko? I'm sure she'd be interested in your story
Silk Purse
Order rules the realms, and we keep the order.
The Silk Purse is a mercantile conglomeration of power-hungry merchants, politicians, and economists. Ostensibly, they are simply a guild. However, the reality is quite different: they are shadowy puppet masters whose influence runs deep throughout the institutions of the Realms. With the pull of a string or a nudge off a cliff, laws are passed, wars are declared, and machinations are set in motion. The internal landscape is one of plots within plots, with power shifting as easily as sand. Despite a strict system of rank and hierarchy, no one is ever sure who, exactly, is holding the reins; a low-ranking member might know the secret of a high-ranking individual and be manipulating them from below.
Past Actions
Over millennia, the Silk Purse inveigled their way into the ruling class's inner circle as financial advisors. Through gifts, flattery, and cunning competence, they secured their role as teachers of the emperors' heirs and began a careful campaign to become the emperors' only advisors. Once this was achieved, they distracted the rulers with hedonism and luxury, passing favourable laws in the emperors' name. Eventually, the Realms fell into rebellion and, sensing the turning of the tide, the Silk Purse overthrew the final emperor, Tokihito, in the name of the people. Since then, they have been remembered as saviours, rather than the conniving tyrants they were.
The Silk Purse plays a careful game of manipulation. In secret, they've allowed Rising Blossom cells to gain resources and confidence, to the point that they attack Silk Purse garrisons. Then, when the wayhouses are no longer manned and the patrols don't keep watch, they pay outlaws to raid trade caravans and villages, and even commit arson. A subsequent war of misinformation turns public opinion against the rebels, including members of the Heirs of Kirin who come to aid destitute villagers, and the Purse is welcomed back with open arms.
Goals
Though the individuals of the Silk Purse each have their own personal goals, the organisation shares one collective aim: control. They aim to be the principal advisors to all rulers so that they can manipulate trade and remain wealthy—the basis of power. They affirm their position as a force for good in the public's eyes by constructing regularly spaced wayhouses garrisoned by Silk Purse watchmen who patrol the roads.
Adventure Hooks
The Silk Purse adventure hooks revolve around encouraging trade, making a profit, and cementing their position as puppet masters. They typically care little for collateral damage unless it makes them look bad, a facet which can make them an antagonist to the Heirs of Kirin. The Silk Purse recognises the danger of the Rising Blossoms and, in some adventures, the hooks of the two factions directly oppose one another.
Agent Nishikibe
- Names
Takaomi Nishikibe, Taka (to family), Nishikibe, Agent
- Faction
Silk Purse
- Primary Quest Driver
Compensation
- Secondary Quest Driver
Morality
Born into a noble family on the decline, Takaomi Nishikibe attended the School of Shinobi, a wizarding school specialising in stealth and illusion. His family's mounting debts brought him into contact with the underworld of the Realms—thieves, assassins, and debt collectors—a world in which his skill set was highly coveted. Though he flourished for a time, relieving his family of its burdens, he was captured by a high-ranking Silk Purse councilman during an attempted heist.
Realising Nishikibe's connections and skills could be of use, the councilman bought his family's debt and, with it, Nishikibe's service. Now Nishikibe is one of the main handlers for Silk Purse's dirty work. He is their connection to the underworld, a disposable albeit useful pawn that can keep the merchants' hands clean.
Personality
Nishikibe's time amongst the least moral and trustworthy the Realms has to offer has made him a careful and observant man. He has a supernatural ability to predict another being's wants and intentions which, with his quick wit, lets him persuade, coerce, or otherwise manipulate a creature towards his desired outcome. He hides in plain sight, often using illusion magic to disguise his appearance before appearing beside his contact, seemingly out of nowhere. He is confident to the point of arrogance, shows no empathy except when interacting with his family, and does not shake hands.
Appearance
Tall and sinewy with a shock of thin blonde hair, Nishikibe is possessed of long, delicate fingers, angular facial features, and pale skin that speaks to many hours indoors, in shadows, and obscured by illusion magic. Nishikibe dresses in flowing silk robes of black, mauve, and gold. With others to do his dirty work for him, he rarely dons the deep maroons and blues that he used to wear to blend in with the shadows. He carries a cane, which conceals a poisoned rapier, and wears his family's signet ring on his left hand
Speech & Mannerisms
Agent Nishikibe chooses his words precisely and has a calm, measured cadence in all circumstances. He is softly spoken, using metaphor and clever wordplay to mask his true meaning, be it an offer of help or the threat of harm. He is a skilled actor, easily switching his demeanour to whatever he deems most favourable for the current situation. His one tell is his family's signet ring. In times of stress or discomfort, he rubs his thumb against it to remind himself why he must do this job.
Desires & Motives
Family, and the protection of it, is Takaomi Nishikibe's primary motive, though only the shadowy councilman that controls him knows this. Nishikibe is ruthless in the pursuit of his master's goals, knowing that his family's life is in his hands. He harbours a secret desire to dig up dirt on his master and alter the dynamic between them, moving from puppet to puppeteer.
Nishikibe admires cunning, quick wits, and the ability to engage with his metaphors and wordplay. He favours people whose motives he can understand, for in that way he can predict their actions. He values people for the ways in which he might use them, ever confident of his ability to stay one step ahead.
Fears & Deterrents
Nishikibe acts out of loyalty to his family but fears that the actions he must take may change him. What would be the point of becoming the puppeteer if he is constantly looking over his shoulder? The lustre to be the one in control is overwhelming, but he knows it's a double-edged sword; to be in power is to be a target.
Nishikibe avoids engaging with the unintelligent except to use them as bait, bargaining chips, or battering rams. He dislikes those who try to get to know him personally, seeing any attempt to do so as an attempt at manipulation. Despite his laissez-faire attitude towards collateral damage, Nishikibe abhors violence for its own sake. Tying up loose ends is one thing, but murder without purpose is barbaric.
Relationships
Here are Nishikibe's opinions of each faction, including his views of his own faction, the Silk Purse.
Silk Purse
thinks little of the pen pushers and bureaucrats, the chaff necessary to keep the world moving. But the world of shadows, trickery, and manipulation... Nishikibe is well suited to this. Though he initially resented being coerced into working for them, he now sees the opportunities it presents, namely keeping his family safe. He turns a blind eye to their misdeeds and does what needs to be done.
College of Hanabi
These scientists are brilliant and blinkered, just how Nishikibe likes them. Nishikibe keeps a close eye on new inventions, trading goods to profit from a changing economic landscape and envisioning uses that their creators had never intended. He is not fond of Bombuku's contempt and practical jokes.
Heirs of Kirin
The heirs are a useful tool to keep the masses content; donating to them is a worthwhile expense. Nishikibe makes sure to ingratiate himself with them wherever he travels, bringing gifts of medicine and food. This also works to keep the Heirs of Kirin away from the Blossoms' influence.
Rising Blossoms
Society has hierarchy, roles, and expectations; it's not for the common man to try and reinvent civilisation as we know it. The Blossoms are a danger, and giving them even a little wiggle room is a mistake. If they should ever gain power, chaos will ensue, and Nishikibe doesn't like the unpredictable.
The Chroniclers
Nishikibe likes to think ahead, predict actions, and position himself to profit. The Chroniclers, academics that dig up the past, make Nishikibe surprisingly wary, and their burgeoning magic of historiomancy is one reason Nishikibe gets others to do his dirty work for him. If he wasn't there, no magic can reveal his role, right? He tries to avoid The Chroniclers' most prolific author, Ryoko, for that reason.
Bombuku
Humanoid (Human), Spy & Wizard, He/Him
Personality
Cunning, insightful, careful
Appearance
Tall, sinewy, well-dressed, graceful
Desire
To become the puppetmaster.
Fear
That his family will suffer as a result of his actions.
Greetings, I believe we can help one another
The Chroniclers
The echoes of the past are wise words.
From court scribes to adventurous archaeologists, The Chroniclers provide a service to all people of the Realms: objective record-keeping. All chroniclers take an oath of honesty and secrecy. They cannot tell a lie and, if asked, will keep secret anything they observe for a period of fifty years, recording the information on sheets of psychic paper that only the writer can read. To eject a chronicler from one's presence is at best an admission of a lack of transparency, and at worst a confession of one's will to commit deception.
For the past few hundred years, The Chroniclers have recorded history without the bias found in the records that predate their existence. To aid in this objective record-keeping, mages within the order have developed historiomancy, a branch of divination magic that allows wielders to look into the past. This magic requires a focus, typically an item that was present during the events that are being investigated. An ancient crown or a kaiju's bone would allow a historiomancer to observe the scene through the eyes of the item or the creature from which the item came. This power is limited, though; the further back in time you look, the more skill is required to bring the pertinent information into focus from among the chaff of white noise.
Past Actions
Over the past two centuries, the number of chroniclers has steadily increased, and the volume of information stored in their Great Library has had to spread into extra-dimensional pockets. Thanks to their oaths, they have acted as witnesses to innumerable contracts, ceasefires, and hostage exchanges, ensuring both sides stick to their agreement. Historiomancy's delving into the past has earnt them friends and enemies; secrets buried for years have been unearthed, leading to innocent prisoners being released and guilty nobles being brought to justice.
Goals
The Chroniclers' goal is information—its acquisition, analysis, and storage. They value curiosity and discovery above everything but the truth. Secondarily, they act to make this process easier for their researchers, collaborating with the College of Hanabi to create long-range communication devices.
Adventure Hooks
The adventure hooks for The Chroniclers typically revolve around acquiring an old item so that Ryoko can practise her historiomancy on it. After fulfilling such an adventure hook, Ryoko can share her findings. For the GM, this means you can paraphrase the information in the background section of each adventure.
Ryoko
- Names
Ryoko
- Faction
The Chroniclers
- Primary Quest Driver
Curiosity
- Secondary Quest Driver
Morality
Ryoko is wiser than one would expect for her years but far less wise than she appears. While this may seem like a contradiction, it is true. Kitsune grow a new tail for each century they have been alive; hence the more tails, the greater the wisdom they can be expected to have accumulated. Ryoko, however, was born with seven tails. From a young age, folk approached her seeking the pearls of her learning and, to be frank, she's sick of it.
Ryoko found solace in books, magic, and the burgeoning art of historiomancy. They don't ask for advice and, with careful probing, they provide fruitful answers. She has worked for The Chroniclers as a historian and writer and, with each book she publishes, her star rises. Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms has cemented her place as a documentarian as well as her desire to never do book tours ever again.
Personality
Bookish and self-effacing, Ryoko reserves her energy and passion for research. She is extremely intelligent, possesses an eidetic memory, and is able to make rapid logical deductions as well as use indirect and creative approaches to problem solving. She's not dismissive so much as distracted by her own musings, but when something—be it an artifact, book, or person—grabs her attention, it has her full focus. The intensity of Ryoko's spotlight can be intimidating for some and utterly enchanting for others.
Appearance
When not shapeshifted into a fox, Ryoko is a female kitsune with a waterfall of thick ginger locks. Her seven tails are extraordinarily long and bushy, finding use as scarves, bolsters to help her reach higher bookshelves, and makeshift chairs. She wears little jewellery and typically carries a long bo staff, from which hang several lanterns— essential for nighttime reading!
Speech & Mannerisms
Ryoko is blunt to the point of being rude. Her vocabulary is more developed than most, and she has a habit of pausing her sentence mid-speech to try and remember the word that would exactly fit her meaning. When trying to recall information, she pictures the book in her hands and traces the lines of the invisible tome until she finds the required information.
Desires & Motives
Though not especially adept at social situations, Ryoko still carries a desire to connect with other people. Face-to-face interactions can be tricky, but her books' receptions have helped her feel valued. What would really make her happy, though she does not know it, is a pen pal. She believes that if she can find the origin of kaiju, she will, through her books, connect with the people of the Yokai Realms like never before.
Learning engages Ryoko; she is delighted to be presented with a new story, a piece of undiscovered history, or artifacts on which she can practise historiomancy. She values the ability to think critically, debate (she will often play the devil's advocate), and creativity.
Fears & Deterrents
There is so much to experience in life that Ryoko sometimes wonders if she's missing out. Books are great and all, but if she doesn't manage to step outside of her comfort zone once in a while, will she have experienced all life has to offer?
Ryoko is tired of other beings assuming that her seven tails mean that she is a font of wisdom. She avoids small talk and over-exuberance, finding it far more tiring than hours of study. She baulks at violence and detests manipulation, cruelty, and lies.
Relationships
This section details Ryoko's views on each faction, including her own faction, The Chroniclers.
The Chroniclers
Ryoko feels like she has found her people with The Chroniclers. They are a varied and eclectic bunch, and they typically communicate via letters, which is fine by her. Ryoko is sure that by rediscovering the past, the future can be made better. The thought that digging up new facts might disturb the harmony of the Realms doesn't occur to her; the truth is paramount.
College of Hanabi
The plan for long-range communication devices is a source of anxiety for Ryoko. Sure, it'd be useful, but if you can't write it down, how do you know that you're going to say the right thing at the right time? That being said, if they could invent a quill prosthesis that wrote at the speed of thought, that'd sure be useful.
Heirs of Kirin
On her travels through the Realms, Ryoko has seen the good these volunteers do and views their existence as beneficial. Her current quest is to discover the origin of kaiju; if successful, she might be able to help the Heirs in some small way. It might even have more of an influence on her world than the books. The heirs have a standing order to courier any kaiju fragments they find to Ryoko to help her with her studies.
Rising Blossoms
Ryoko has stumbled across a Rising Blossoms spokesperson giving a clandestine rally once. She knows little of the struggle of common folk, and their words could be dangerous. However, a quote from the famous writer, Ducythides, sticks with her: "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must." That doesn't seem quite right.
Silk Purse
The Silk Purse has a policy of not allowing Chroniclers access to their reams of records, purportedly for the privacy of their investors. Nevertheless, they use The Chroniclers as witnesses whenever they have a public-facing announcement. Ryoko admires the efficiency of their bureaucracy but is ambivalent towards their goals; the wheeling and dealing of the business world is something she'd rather ignore, and something about Nishikibe makes her uncomfortable.
Ryoko
Humanoid (Kitsune), Historian, She/Her
Personality
Bookish, self-effacing, distractible, subject to hyper-focus
Appearance
Seven enormous tails and a long staff with lanterns attached
Desire
To discover the origin of Kaiju.
Fear
That her inhibitions will limit her horizons.
I can spare five minutes if you can promise to be interesting
