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| The Daimyo's Tea Ceremony; Officers/Advisors Welcome | |
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| Topic Started: 28/09/2011 - 12:14 pm (887 Views) | |
damo2986
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28/09/2011 - 12:14 pm Post #1 |
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|damo2986|
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The largest Courtyard of Mikawa Castle was lined with trees and bushes. In the centre of the courtyard stood a raised building, surrounded by a shallow moat of water, only accessible by a small wooden bridge. The teahouse was newly built, a part of the expansion work commisioned by Ieyasu at his father's request. The front door of the teahouse was only three foot high and required its guests to crouch down to gain entry to within. Once inside there were facilities for the guests to wash their mouths and hands and remove their shoes. A further three foot high door inside the teahouse led to the main room and required the guests to bow down to enter, a sign of equality amongst everyone present. The room was only very small, just large enough for twelve persons and it was lined with tatami mats. There were several paintings draped on the walls and a musician in the corner was playing relaxing melodies. In the centre of the room sat a kettle being boiled over a small open charcoal fire. A rather stout looking man was sat next to the kettle and was carefully laying out seveal tea serving utensils, he handled them with grace and elegance. Laid out in front of each tatami mat was a ceramic bowl with matcha resting in the bottom, all that was required was for the boiling water to be poured within and the tea would be whisked and ready to drink. The Daimyo was sat on one of the mats and his guests were filing in one by one. He greeted each one of them individually and thanked them for their attendance. His officers and their advisors in addition to the newly appointed head of security were all on the guest list today. When everyone had taken a seat on the mats, Hirotada addressed them. "Thank you all for coming. The purpose of this ceremony today is to allow us put our troubles aside and to sit amongst each other as equals. There will be no bickering here today, merely sharing of stories, experiences and the shedding of our differences. We face tough times ahead, let us be one when our adversaries strike. Separated we can be beaten, united we can be unstoppable." Hirotada signalled to the tea servers that he was finished. They started to pour the boiling water into the ceramic bowls. Once they had finished pouring out the water the Daimyo continued. "I will start us off with a brief story. Back when I was nothing more then the Daimyo of a vassalate clan, my son was born. There were complications with the birth and Ieyasu was almost lost to us. Thankfully he showed his true strength and pulled through. The happiest time of my life almost quickly became a tragedy. From that moment I vowed that I would do all in my power to ensure that he grew up to lead a clan that would be one of the most prominant in all of Japan. Every decision I made was with his future in the forefront of my mind. Then came the decisions to hand him over to rival clans as a hostage. Some called me callous to do this not only once but twice. They think I was heartless, selfish. Little do they know." Hirotada picked up his ceramic bowl which was now full and he took a sip. "Not only was I putting Ieyasu's life on the line when I handed him over, but I was putting my own life and the life of the clan at risk too. My son is the one thing I hold dearest to my heart in the whole of this world, my counterparts did not realise how much it pained me to make that choice when I handed him over. Living in the knowledge that if he had been killed, it would have been my decision that had caused that to happen would have been unbearable. I would have had no other choice then to end my own life. Had my counterparts realised that I was not as heartless as I appeared, we may not be sat here today." The Daimyo appeared to be staring blankly at the wall for a short moment after finishing his story. He then smiled to himself. "But enough about my shortcomings as a human being. I would not want my enemies thinking me a sentimental old fool. I prefer them to think of me a blood thirsty tyrant. That way I can pleasantly surprise their people once I conquer their lands and show them prosperity. I have talked for long enough, please share your stories and get to know each other. Oh and no work related talk in here, this is our chance to let our hair down and relax." |
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| KodKod | 28/09/2011 - 01:09 pm Post #2 |
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Chaos Angel
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((Before the ceremony)) Chikage cried out, the pain was unbearable as she felt her chest being contracted, searing agony for her recently healed ribs. “Be careful, Mole!” she snapped, “Do you have any idea how much that hurts?” Mole said nothing, brushing aside her concerns with a look of intense concentration on his face as he tightened the obi around her waist. “Some woman you are, you would be mistaken for a prostitute were it not for my help. The very idea of you attending a tea ceremony is ludicrous; you haven’t got a sophisticated bone in your body, and I doubt you’ve done a single feminine thing in your life.” His tone was as vitriolic as ever, but underneath the harsh words was the beginnings of a good friendship between the two of them, Mole had worked tirelessly on fitting a Kimono for Chikage the moment she had brought up the issue. “You’re right, Mole,” she grinned mockingly at the man who had spent most of the previous night going through various patterns of fabric “you’re feminine enough for the both of us.” “Oh hush, girl; flap your tongue like that at a formal event and they’ll have you thrown out of the castle. You’re going to embarrass yourself plenty enough dressed as you are, no need to dig yourself further into a hole with respectable company.” “I look fine, Mole, you’re spent the entire morning seeing to that.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you, a short kimono is not appropriate for this type of celebration; I wish you’d listen to me and just wear the appropriate clothing, but no...” They had been bickering for hours, Mole was an experienced socialite and insisted on attending to tradition, but Chikage would have none of it, she didn’t feel comfortable unless she could spring into action at a moment’s notice, but she was incapable of even putting one on without his help, so she had to deal with his nagging. “There, you’re done. You look less like a woman and more like a foolish girl in that thing, but at least with me fitting you you’ll be better looking than any other foolish girl in the country. Now get out of my sight and mind your etiquette.” “Thank you Aunt Mole.” she smirked at him, as she made her way out and set out of the castle. ------------------ ((At the tea ceremony)) Despite the extensive preparations that she had done with Mole in order to give her the semblance of decency, the tea ceremony still proved to be an alien experience to her. The daimyo was a natural, and he commanded the attention of the whole room; Chikage was glad for that, any attention taken away from her was ideal. Mole had been right, of course, she was dressed improperly for the occasion, and she had received a number of quizzical looks for it; women with class, as her identity made her out to be, were simply not supposed to have so much leg on display, regardless of how practical it may be. Still, she held herself with a confidence which surprised even her, and soon after the initial impressions it seemed to go forgotten as the daimyo began his speech. For the moment she kept quiet, attempting to sip her tea as delicately as possible in a strange environment. She would make a conscious effort to keep quiet until at least the other officers had spoken, and the atmosphere had somewhat relaxed, for right now she was a fish out of water, surrounded by the Tokugawa’s most important individuals, most of whom were familiar with one another. It was to be quite a challenge for her. |
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| Lord Kierstead | 28/09/2011 - 01:31 pm Post #3 |
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Valor with honor, treason with death
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Icorisu wearing a Kimono of the deepest red the symbol of the samurai class, happy to be among such a wonderful crowed but also worried that he would not fit in among the highest officers in all the land stood and spoke in a voice he saved for official occasions and when he try ed to sweat-talk a girl "I remember long before the Tokugawa liberated the Saito clan I was a warrior in their army and I fought like a man possessed when you or should I now say we stormed Mino." "Not one of your ashigaru or samurai could best me and more men fell to my blade than I care to remember, until you Hirotada-dono stood before me I thought I was the best but you proved me wrong we fought for what? an hour two until you got the upper hand and put me down like a wiped dog trust me that never happened to me before" "After that battle you had we dragged into the deepest,darkest hole in your dungeons I was ready to commit Seppuku when you walked in smiling at me in my mind I thought you were thinking of all the torturers and pains you were going to inflict on me as I did believe that you were a blood thirsty demon." Yet you walked into my cell and told me to stand that kneeling on a sword was not my way to go you said I was the best fighter you had ever seen and told me I was now a member of the Tokugawa clan and sent me to teach at the sword school in Sagami where I taught your men as much as I could to prove my worth to you" "and now all my hard work has been rewarded I am the apprentice of the high priestess and have seen the more gental side of you the malevolent general is the benevolent ruler the fighter is the poet the killer of sons is the father" he raised his tea "a toast to the most honorable Hirotada-dono and all his officers Fujiko-sama, Chikaga-sama, Motohisa-sama and Yuesei-sama to your continued life and prosperity" Edited by Lord Kierstead, 28/09/2011 - 01:34 pm.
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| Deleted User | 28/09/2011 - 03:42 pm Post #4 |
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Yusei sat amongst the officers wearing his traditional kimono that bore the colors of the Uesugi in respects for Kenshin. As he sat there, he cooly observed the other officers and Icorisu, Fujiko's assistant. You, Icorisu, you seem to be quite the loyal one, such people like you can ruin grand plans of mine. Next his eyes shifted to the new Shinobi Elder, Chikage, he smirked as he looked at her improper attire. Not the most proper one are you Chikage, too different to be a real danger to me, but something about her seems off. Next he turned his head next to him, expecting to see Tatami Master Motohisa, but was shocked to not find him. Now where are you Motohisa, you're becoming more suspicious by the minute. Lastly, he shifted his eyes towards Fujiko, the one who always outmanuvered him. You seem to be quite the challenge, Fujiko, quite the honorable opponent. Finishing his thoughts, Yusei gave a dumb grin towards Fujiko, hiding his deep thoughts and analyzing of the other officers and advisors. He lifted his tea cup and spoke," You know, when I had two eyes..." before he continued he pointed towards his eyes, obviously a corny joke of his. "I was Uesugi, born and raised, it was Kenshin who inspired and drove me to become what I am today. He opened my eyes to the way to finally unify the land. He died tragically, as I was his bodyguard and most esteemed member of his own council. Now it seems the torch of enlightenment has passed to you, Hirotada-sama. You are the token, the key to unification of the land. That is why I applied to serve you. To finally unify the land under one great man, the new future Shogun Tokugawa Hirotada." "It has been an honor serving with you my lord, no, all of you. Fujiko-sama, Motohisa..." Yusei paused to imply the fact Takesun Motohisa hasn't arrived yet. He continued,"and now you, Chikage, is it? I cannot wait to work with you, you seem interesting. A woman like you seems to have many stories to tell. Icorisu, as noble as ever I see, Fujiko-sama has chosen quite the loyal apprentice." He toasted,"A toast for the future, a toast for the Tokugawa." He sipped his glass and waited for the officers, waiting to hear their responses. On the inside, he was grinning. |
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| Naughty_Ranko | 28/09/2011 - 10:15 pm Post #5 |
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Fallen Angel
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Fujiko had been sipping her tea while listening to the others. As she sat the bowl down, she inclined her head to the stout man. "The tea is delicious, my good man." The servant bowed and Fujiko turned to Hirotada with a smirk. "Careful, my lord. I might decide and make him an offer to come work for me at the temple." She cast a sideways glance at Chikage, who was being awfully quiet. When she had turned up at the entrance of the Daimyo's Hall, Fujiko's skin had crawled. She knew her true identity, but for the moment there was no point in outing her. A destabilization of the council would serve nobody and Fujiko knew from first-hand experience that she was quite well suited for the position of Shinobi Elder. "I am looking forward to working with you, Chikage-san," she said simply. "I'd be delighted, if you would drop by the temple for a visit. There are some ... matters we might wish to discuss in private?" Fujiko now turned around to address everyone again. "This council has seen rough times. But fighting amongst ourselves means that things are getting done. Now we need to figure out a way to argue productively, without degenerating into just general insults. Let's show our newest member that we can get along, too." Fujiko cleared her throat. "I leave you with a poem that was a favourite of my late master." As she began to recite the famous words, the lines carried a faint musical quality with them. Long Winter Night Its all I think of: of when I was young, reading books in the empty temple hall - refilling the lamp again and again with oil, never lamenting the long winter night. "And take comfort in the knowledge, my friends, that however long the winter may seem, summer must surely follow after the next spring." |
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| Brownbeast77 | 29/09/2011 - 07:45 am Post #6 |
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Yoshihairo found himself smiling at Fujiko's beautiful poem - but he must stay alert: "I cannot just sit here and listen to poems all day" he thinks to himself "I have a job to do - the last thing the clan wants is a dead daiymo, or any officers for that matter. Anyone could be looking to strike the daimyo. I hope that the 'Pāsonarusekyuritichīmu' are capable if any instance were to occur." The 'Pāsonarusekyuritichīmu' were spread around the area, hidden in shadows - as per his instructions - keeping an eye out, poised for any suprise attack or assasin. |
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| Lord Kierstead | 29/09/2011 - 09:32 am Post #7 |
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Valor with honor, treason with death
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Icorisu notices the grin that Yusei tried to hide in his tea and walks up to Yusei and bows low thinking all the while "this man is very odd he seams to have something up his sleeve and I want to find out what before his trap is sprung" "good day my lord I wished to talk i wanted to hear the tale of how you lost your eye and also was a little curios as to why you smiled at me once you looked at me did I do something wrong" "oh yes I would also like to request we duel some day to see how well we both match against the each" but behind the friendly speak in the back of his mind he thought "if this man has a trap I must find it and end it I will not allow this clan to be defeated by the foolish plots of a Uesgi pig |
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| Lovetotalwar | 30/09/2011 - 04:36 am Post #8 |
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Medieval knight in disguies
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Dakeu mingled among the crowd offering samples of food to the people but looked alittle different then the last time he met the Daimyo, his hair had a wheat made hat on top of it, his eyes had changed to green from blue with a little help of some magical drinks (drugs) and was wearng some fine silk. He was alert and did not want to give his postion away until he was sure the time was right. His task aside he actuly enjoyed the tea cermony and was glad to see Fujiko, an important officer, he had heard much about her and thought she was doing a good job being a officer. Dakeu wonderd round staying away from the Daimyo and servingn the less important people so not to attracted any unwanted attention. The people thanked Dakeu for the food and he walked into the pantry and collected more food to serve to the guests, it was not a greate job but it got him close to the Daimyo. Edited by Lovetotalwar, 30/09/2011 - 04:41 am.
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| Deleted User | 04/10/2011 - 11:08 am Post #9 |
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Rufus was quitely sitting on the roof, making sure nobody strange was around. He saw the ninjas of the 'Pāsonarusekyuritichīmu'. One of them was playing cards near the door, another one was sleeping on the roof. He saw some others who took their job seriously, but couldn't hide themselves properly. He had no idea if the 'Pāsonarusekyuritichīmu' had some good ninjas that he didn't see. He now knew why he has received a letter from this group as from what he could see, the group needed a decent ninja. That is why he planned to go see this group in the morning. After thinking a little more he thought that maybe the better ninjas are hidden Ruhr now. He cleared his mind of the bad ninjas and continued to look around. He listened to the speeches inside and he drank the cup of tea he had "burrowed" from the kitchen. He thought it wouldn't matter as long as he brought the cup back. All of a sudden, he heard yelling on the roof. He quickly turned around. It was only the ninja sleeping on the roof that had slipped and was now hanging on the side of the roof. The card playing ninjas ran beneath him and gave him a boost back up. "Huh, amateurs" he thought with a smile on his face. He turned back and right away he saw a strange man standing near the wall and looking around. He was wearing the colour of the Ueseugi. Rufus got a little closer to the man to get a better look. The man leaned and put a letter in a bush. He then quickly walked out of sight. Rufus waited a couple of minutes and saw another person in a Ueseugi coloured kimono, but this time coming from the tea ceremony. The person leaned and picked up the letter, quickly putting it in their kimono. He briefly saw the person's face and thought he saw that it was the kensei swordmaster. He the saw the person walk back into the building. He was perplexed about what he had seen. He wrote it down, so he wouldn't forget and returned to his part of the roof. He looked around, thinking about what he had seen. He won't tell anyone unless he finds out if the person really was the kensei swordmaster. He stared into the horizon taking another sip of tea. |
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