+news Kuroyari
Village: General
Trait Point Cost: 20
Starting Bonuses:
+1 Taijutsu (Stat)
+1 Strength (Stat)
Kuroyari Style (Skill)
(Note: must take the Diminished Speed Flaw.)
Hidenjutsu: Kuroyari Style Taijutsu
Background:
The Kuroyari are Blackspear Samurai, a special division of samurai that
train in the ninja arts. They are a division of the Sanyari ("Sunspear)
Samurai who serve Lord Tenmei in Enkaigo: a small northwestern region in
the Land of Lightning referred to as the Shattered Shore. The Shattered
Shore has always been plagued by tribes of tattooed pirates whose arrows
meant death for any who opposed them — until the Sanyari came. Covered
from head to toe in thick metal armor, and wielding large weapons with long
reach these heavy and powerful warriors walked unharmed through their
enemies' arrows, and then they cut them down.
Very recently though, some of the tribal pirates have begun to use
ninjutsu, and were able to bypass the Sanyari armor with it. The Kuroyari
were then created to train in both the heavy armor and weapon skills of the
Sanyari, and the ninja skills of Kumogakure, to newly protect the island.
As such, Sanyari who volunteer for the Kuroyari are sent to Kumogakure to
train in the ninja arts. The Kuroyari live, work, and train with the
shinobi of Kumogakure. There are smaller bands of Kuroyari that have been
sent to train in the other Hidden Villages, also in exchange for oaths of
fealty. For more information on the Kuroyari, please see +news kuroyari2.
Specialties:
A Kuroyari samurai is allowed to wear their armor in whatever fashion they
wish. Some wear simple layers of plate, some ornate suits of armor. The
emblem of the Sanyari is a yellow spear pointing straight up on a field of
red, and most Sanyari have the emblem on them somewhere. Their weapons are
almost always two-handed and require a great amount of strength to use, and
have a greater range than most standard weaponry. The Kuroyari are the same
in all these aspects as the Sanyari, except that the Kuroyari have a
different emblem, their spear is black on a field of red.
The Kuroyari aren't true ninja. Their heritage of heavy armor and weapons
and their early training in that keeps them from being strong Ninjutsu or
Genjutsu users. They can certainly utilize the tools of the ninja
efficiently, and learn basic techniques and abilities, but ultimately they
yearn to fight like they always have, using their ninja training to
supplement - not replace - their Sanyari training. As such, a Kuroyari
samurai is more apt to use techniques to set their sword on fire, or to
thicken their armor with a layer of rock, et cetera (rather than spit
blasts of water, or hurl bolts of lightning).
(Updated by Nunchuk on: Tue Apr 16 12:49:31 2013)
+news Kuroyari2
Birth of the Sanyari:
Long ago, before the Land of Lightning was one country, and before the
ninja villages, the area known as the Shattered Shore, comprised of about a
dozen mountainous coastal islands, was ruled by bands of tribal pirates,
small and fast men and women covered head to toe in tattoos. The native
people of the area - large, strong-bodied people with dark skin - were
under the rule of the pirates and worked as slaves in the many mines of the
Shore. The pirates were vicious and numerous, and despite the size and
strength of the people of the Shore, revolts were always brutally put down.
One young slave during this time was Tenmei Okamaru. Working in the mines,
Tenmei stumbled upon an underground river, which he and some of his fellow
slaves used to escape. They fled the Shattered Shore, vowing one day to
return and liberate the islands. Tenmei and his group became soldiers,
fighting in one battle or another for different feudal lords, and
eventually learned the ways of the samurai, but being stronger and hardier
than most people (and not quite as quick) tended to favor large weapons
that let them use strength and reach as their advantage. Tenmei himself
became a master of the spear, and so he gilded his blade. Tenmei Okamaru
and his group became a band of ronin, developing their skills over many
years, and there were few in the region who didn't know to fear the sight
of Tenmei Okamaru's golden spear.
Eventually, Tenmei decided he and his men were ready to return home and
free his people. Having seen many men die from both sword and arrow, he had
all his men have new armor made. Thick and metal, it could turn both blade
and arrow, and despite making them slower than other samurai, the range and
power of their weapons made up for the trade-off. When they returned to the
Shattered Shore, they were able to march straight through the pirates'
arrows, and their huge weapons carved right through the swarms of enemies
who came in range. Despite the speed and ferocity of the pirates, the armor
of Tenmei Okamaru and his ronins protected them from the enemies blades.
Island after island was liberated, and as he freed his people, Tenmei
Okamaru's army grew and grew.
The pirates were forced back out to sea, and the Shattered Shore was
liberated. The people made Tenmei Okamaru their leader, and he was named
Lord Tenmei, and his golden spear was named the Sunspear. Tenmei created a
new order of samurai, named after his spear, to forever guard the Shattered
Shore. They were the Sunspear Samurai: the Sanyari. For generations since,
the Tenmei family has ruled from the city Tenmei Okamaru built - Enkaigo -
with the Sanyari sworn to the service of Tenmei, Enkaigo, and the Shattered
Shore.
(Continued in +news kuroyari3.)
(Updated by Nunchuk on: Sat Apr 13 09:22:01 2013)
+news Kuroyari3
Ranks and Service in the Sanyari and Kuroyari:
At around eight to ten years of age, prospective Sanyari begin their
training. They are students, and in exchange for early training they spend
their time tending to the armor and weapons of the matriculated Sanyari,
cleaning the barracks and training yards, or they are cabin boys aboard the
ships of the sea-faring Sanyari who patrol the Shattered Shore and hunt
pirates.
Once the students grow big enough to actually wield the arms and armor of
the Sanyari, the real training begins. They are given weapons and armor,
and train day and night, and are often sent out by land or sea to serve
under a full Sanyari samurai on one mission or another to further their
training. They are simply called Sanyari soldiers at this point — they are
not yet true samurai. While still young, after only a year or two, if they
show sufficient skill, a soldier bows before Lord Tenmei and is declared a
full Sanyari Samurai. It is at this point that they are given an
assignment. Some stay in Enkaigo, some in the castle of Lord Tenmei; some
are assigned to other islands or towns; and some are assigned to ships,
both military and merchant, as guards or pirate hunters. Some even request
to continue their training and learn the ninja arts, and are sent to
Kumogakure to become Kuroyari.
The ranks of the Sanyari are rather simple: there are students, soldiers,
samurai, captains (who lead soldiers and samurai at garrisons, or actually
captain their own ships), and commanders (of whom there are only a few who
stand as the leaders of the Sanyari). Above them all is the head of the
Tenmei family.
(Updated by Nunchuk on: Sat Apr 13 09:27:56 2013)
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