Norio Zenko

[Oni]

Many years ago in the small village of Minbomachi (Hope Village) on Tatsushima - a child was born to Kazuma Kajiya, the village's blacksmith, and his lover Miki Suifu, the cook at the local tavern. The two wed a day before the child was born, much to the chagrin of the village elders, and the child was named Norio. Norio was among the first children to be born following the ten years of harsh droughts that plagued the village, many saw his and the other births as a good omen and as result the children were sent, when able, to be blessed by the Sohei (warrior-monks) of Kaishin. During his blessing, members of the Sohei claimed to had seen a golden fox spirit, a kitsune, possessing nine tails sit at the entrance to the temple before vanishing and as result he was given the blessing name of Zenko.

Over the next dozen years, Norio enjoyed a pleasant childhood with plenty of toys and food thanks to his parents' decent jobs. His father's goal was to be able to earn enough coin himself and have his wife stop working at the tavern, so Norio when he wasn't playing was being taught the ways of the forge so he could eventually join his father. In addition his father taught him how to fight with his hands, feet, and head – a local form of martial arts known as Minbo-te. Though during play, Zenko, as his friends preferred to call him, ran with a small group of boys born around the same time he was. These boys, who called themselves the Shokostokai (lords of the eastern sea), would for the most part behave but they would occasionally play pranks or steal the girls' dolls or the likes. During one summer the boys built a small house near their “eastern sea”, an inlet lagoon known as Amehaba, and began to use it as a clubhouse.

While Minbomachi enjoyed its idyllic time of peace during these years, things elsewhere across the Yarisakishima begun to become unstable and dangerous as the regime of the Emperor Garasu came to a violent end and the empire beginning to splinter. Several regional Daimyo began to establish rule in sections of the country as they splintered free from the remains of the empire. The most powerful of which, a man known as Hisamitsu Satake, took advantage of this situation of chaos and change and had, or forced, many other Daimyo vow allegiance to him if he should become Shogun. The entire island of Tatsushima was among the territories claimed by Daimyo Satake.

A few weeks before Norio's thirteenth birthday a convey of Samurai along with a representative of Daimyo Satake arrived and spoke with the village elders. While the meeting was occurring many of the village met at the tavern to discuss what potential implications this could cause. Many spoke of how Minbomachi being such a small village on the eastern coast of Tatsushima was of no real military or strategic value. Others mentioned how few men were of fighting age and that the only thing of real trade value were Kajiya's crafts and the fish from the sea. Some feared that the children would be taken and plans to have them transported elsewhere were mentioned. Zenko and the Shokostokai refused the ideas to escape and suggested they could just remain hidden in the village or fight back. Their ideas met harsh responses though all fell silent as the sound of a dying scream could be heard from the meeting place.

Fear over swept many within the tavern causing them to begin to panic, others tried to calm them but it ended up a loud argument. Some of the women and a few of the men begun to usher the children into the basement, which normally remained hidden from view thanks to a trapdoor under a carpet. Few could hear the Samurai approach until it was too late. As the trapdoor was being slammed shut, the doors to the tavern were kicked in as the sound of blades begin drawn forth from their sheathes echoed in the roomy tavern. The sound of death quickly followed as mothers gripped their child's mouths to keep them silent and the men readied a knowingly feeble defense in case the Samurai came searching.

Norio searched those huddled down in the basement for his parents though as the number of people remaining to check dwindled so did his hopes. As he begun to approach the trapdoor, the familiar sound of his father's voice met his ears as he eyes drifted up to the wooden floor above him. Above he could hear his father denouncing the actions of the Daimyo and the Samurai that served him. As it seemed they were about to cut him down, Norio attempted to ascend the ladder under the trapdoor but was cast to the floor by one of the men. The noise attracted the attention of Kazuma who demanded he at least be given the honor of defending himself or killing himself via seppuku. Despite the representative’s disagreement with the idea, one of the Samurai begun to fight him in hand to hand, though was quickly beaten due to underestimating Kazuma. Though as he laid there listening to the fight above, Norio suddenly remembered his mother had ridden into town with a few of the other women and a guard in order to obtain supplies. Clapping from a single person could be heard as the voice of the representative ordered the remaining Samurai to kill Kazuma, with the swords. He shot up and ran for the other exit at the far end of the basement, which lead into a tunnel – knowing his father's fate was sealed he refused to cry or mourn until his mother was safe.

As he made his way through the tunnel he could feel the pangs of sorrow as it chewed at him, causing his stomach to feel uneasy though he could not stop. Eventually Norio came into the fading light of day near the Amehaba and turned around quickly to look toward the village where smoke rose in the form of a heavy black pillar. Noises from the tunnel took his attention as he moved into some bushes to hide detection, though it soon proved to be pointless to do so as it was the others who had hidden in the basement. Though it was no time to sit and chat as they claimed the Samurai were following, so Norio and the other boys quickly began to lead the survivors to one of the boats they would often use to sail about the Amehaba. Only half of those present could fit on the boat, so the women, girls, and two old men were forced to take the boat and start to head toward the city of Irieshi (Cove city)to the north. The boys were determined to survive and quickly started to head north on foot toward the trade road, it was the hope of Norio to find the cart with his mother and every to travel to Irieshi. It proved a difficult journey for the boys given the harsh terrain they had to cross and the belief they were being pursued, with at least two of them having to be carried by their fellows. Eventually the group found numerous carts on their way to and fro Irieshi though many could be noted pointing to the south toward the numerous pillars of black smoke rising.

It took them all night to find Norio's mother, Miki, and the others that were with her. Using some of the money left over from trading, they rented a few rooms at the inn where they broke down and grieved. After the grieving they attempted to plan where to go and what to do, while a few of the Shokostokai headed down to the port to see if there any signs of the boat. After those of the boat arrived, they realized the group was moderately large as it was composed of six adult women, two older adult males, four girls, ten boys, and two baby girls. It was agreed upon that they would all stick together and attempt to run a small eatery of some sort. Though they realized they first had to have enough money to do so and enough food to feed everyone. So after making a deal with the inn owner, several of the adult women begun to offer services to those that would pay them.

Though the boys did not wish their mothers to have to whore themselves out so everyone could survive, so they too took it upon themselves to earn their keep. The Shokostokai became the Irieyosho (cove great soldiers) and began to steal, threaten, and do other similar gang like activities and all the time attempting to keep their mothers unaware of their involvement in such things. The boys also worked legit jobs such as Norio who worked as a runner for a delivery service ran in the city. Over the next three years all worked out smoothly enough with a few incidents involving the law but no arrests. Norio himself began to be known quite well amongst the city as a young man with a good head on his shoulders and notably hungry for opportunity. During a job on his normal route Norio was jumped by several men who were heavily tattooed and using metal rods as weapons – while he took a number of heavy blows to his arms and back he managed to defeat them but that is when their boss showed himself and beat Norio to the ground. Unable to stand, Norio could only support himself up with his arms in a near bowing like stance. Pleased by this the boss of these tattooed men took Norio with him back to his boss's tower in the northwestern part of Irieshi...

((more to come later))

[Oni]

The man who beat Norio introduced himself as Ishida Tatsuki, the Shateigashira, second lieutenant, of the Gin-Tora Clan's chairmen who calls himself Genryuasi Gin. On the way to the Gin-Tora controlled tower, the man's exposed back caught Norio's attention – it was covered in a vast and elaborate tattoo showing a leaping trout, instantly Norio knew the situation he was in, he was captured by the Yazuka. Being fully restrained, he found he could do nothing but he watch as they traveled. He used this chance to memorize the path they took in case he had a chance to make a run for it. It was not long before they reached the tower, where they entered from a side-entrance and avoided the front which seemed to be used by common-folk on business. Before long Norio found himself thrown upon the floor, in a large office, before the chair of an elderly man.

The elderly man revealed himself as the Oyabun, Chairman, of the Gin-Tora Clan, Genryuasi Gin. Through a long monologue he informed Norio that he has been watching his gang, the Irieyosho, and wanted them to join his organization or stop all their activities. Any refusal to cease activities, if they chose that option, would result in painful punishment for any future transgressions. A messenger would be sent to them despite Norio's wishes to speak to them himself, though he found his situation was already chosen for him – he would join the Yazuka or die. The “special honor” was result of how quickly he dealt with the kyodai, big brothers, and shatei, little brothers, that were with Ishida Tatsuki, by the Shateigashira's request. With little other option, Norio accepted.

Norio was taken to a room somewhere in the tower's lower subterranean and given some food and water. A guard was also posted at his door, this remained how it was for several days until a woman entered his room with a wooden tub and after several additional trips the tub was filled and he was washed. Following his bath, Ishida Tatsuki visited him and informed him his gang accepted the offer and would soon be joining him, though his own duties would begin there and now. He was to accompany several of the shatei and inform a store owner his protection money was overdue. This would be the start of a typical day for Norio for several years.

It took a few months but after getting use to his knew life and being joined by his friends from the Irieyosho, he moved up from shatei to kyodai after continuously proving himself an asset during jobs. Norio and the former Irieyosho stuck together as much as they could, earning them several nicknames amongst the Gin-Tora Clan, though they didn't care at all as long as they had the means to keep their mothers and sisters well off and protected. Such was life – training, doing jobs, enjoying life, and slowly progressing up the ladder of the Gin-Tora. After two years of this, at the age of eighteen, Norio was granted his tattoo, an expensive reward, the nine-tail kitsune glowing with foxfire walking across his back with a field of moon-flowers.

As Norio and his boys were advancing so was Ishida Tatsuki who replaced the ailing Shira Komona as Wakagashira, first lieutenant, after Shira died of over-drinking the one night. As the Wakagashira, Ishida began to rearrange many of the groupings within the shatei and which kyodai lead them. These changes included Norio's group as Ishida felt that the group was holding back Norio's potential and had him assigned a more commanding role just under him, to serve as his own enforcer though this was not without issue. The most notable objection to this was from the new Shateigashira, Kojia Anubai, who felt Ishida's actions were undermining the power of Shateigashira and to a much lesser extent the Oyabun's. Norio had his own objections to the decision but he kept them to himself and worked what favors he could to ensure his friends had a good kyodai above them. Oyabun Genryuasi felt no threat from it and dismissed Kojia's claims as petty infighting.

Despite the increasing internal struggles between the Ishida and Kojia, things remained mostly peaceful between the factions within the Gin-Tora even though even a casual observer would note splintering. Over the course of ten years things remained primarily the same as normal. Norio began to see a woman on the outside, known as Kiki Ayaname, who sold fruit at the local market and the two were becoming fast lovers though he would never toll her about what he did for a living nor how he had the coin to pay for so much. He felt the time would come when he could explains to her, though such would only become a fading dream after the one evening he returned home. He walked into the office to speak with the Oyabun, about potentially marrying Kiki, though he would find the man dead. Kojia walked in to find him with the dead man, he quickly was accused of it despite the known fact that Kojia was in a meeting with him only hours prior.

Kojia wanted Norio to be executed on the spot but Ishida did not believe he could be responsible for such an action given his loyalty to the organization. In addition, Norio's mother and sister, born to a different father, were being threatened to be killed along with him or at least expelled for their son's horrible actions if Kojia had his way. Norio could not believe what was going on, though he knew despite who did it the fault now lied with him due to how the fates have twisted it. Norio was thrown into a cell in the basement whilst Ishida and Kojia argued over his fate. Two days passed until he was taken to the grand chamber, where Ishida took the mantle of Oyabun and despite his wishes, Kojia was now Wakagashira. Norio's fate was to be banished from Yarisakishima by being sent a drift to the east upon a boat with a week's ration of food and water. He was to be no longer part of the Gin-Tora Clan as result, his family though was to be spared of any issues and to be given means to continue life as normal. As a condition of Kojia's, he would not be given time to say farewell or any other items of his to be placed in the boat – he would be sent a drift with only what he had on his person and to be done so by the sun's rising. And it was so, without much ceremony Norio was lead to the boat that had been filled with the week's rations and tied to a larger ship. He boarded it without any words and turned to face the Gin-Tora, as the ship began to pull his small boat out to sea he continued to stare at them, no words were uttered by any and soon enough he no longer could see them. After several hours of being towed, his small boat was cut free and sent adrift while the larger one returned to Irieshi.

After several hours adrift, Norio attempted to find a ways to direct the flow of his boat though he could only use his hands for so long before he became tired. He continued for days, attempting to ration the best he could and fight off sleep so not to allow the boat to lose its course too much. As it begun to near the week's end his rations were thinning and so was his hope. He began to think something was in the water near him, something large and powerful but it would not show himself – soon convinced he was losing his mind he started to count things and make sounds with his mouth to mimic song. Though it was not long after this he began to he lose consciousness as sleep could no longer be fought as fatigue and lack of strength won control. His dreams were filled with rain, memories of old times, and counting. But he fought against complete unconsciousness, going in and out of consciousness for what seemed like weeks to him as he tried in vain to keep his boat straight and ration water. Sometime after he left go and passed out completely his small boat was seized by a large warship bearing the marks of the Kingdom of Renastere of the Eirene continent. As they pulled him on board, his body showed signs of terrible sunburns, malnourishment, and an advanced case of dehydration.

Norio was in the ship's sickbay for several weeks as it continued its southern patrol of the kingdom's coastline. Neither side could understand the other in terms of language leading to many issues in terms of finding out where exactly he came from or anything about him. The Elohim, a Sister Maria Horngood, attempted to do what she could to help tend his wounds and teach him the basics of the Traders' Tongue. By the time Norio could understand some of the language and was mostly back in good health the ship made dock at the city of Wycche. From there Sister Horngood made arrangements with the local inn to house Norio and give him a basic job washing dishes or whatnot. For roughly two years Norio remained at the Rampart Pub and Stay in Wycche's Merchant District. By the end of those two long years he managed to gain a mastery of the local language and learn some about where he was now. Grateful for the all the help he stayed on another with only half pay, though still got meals and room, and donated that money to the district's temple of Ilîhum in the care of Sister Horngood. When this ended he set out to find out more about these lands and to find a new home.

Five years he traveled and learnt, five years he trained to keep his mind and body strong, five years he remembered his family and friends, and eventually he decided it was time to find out if there was a way back. It took him three threes to find any information and it lead him northwest into the county of Marston. To the village of Greensprings that is located southeast of the Orcish-held mines and north of the Wes, a desert that claimed the majority of the county's territory. There he was told he could meet with someone who had a ship down Hamskin way and made regular yearly journeys to the Yarisakishima territory. As he waited for his contact he waited in the tavern, sipping on a whiskey as he noted several men heavily tattooed enter the tavern along with a man wearing thick dark glasses. He watched for a few until he realized that was his contact, the Yazuka were on Eirene.

Norio approached the men and soon enough learnt that this man was part of the Gin-Tora, though he served the fifth chairmen, Kojia Anubai. Curiosity was too strong in him and he asked what happened to Ishida Tatsuki, his answer was met with one of the tattooed men grabbing his shoulders and the one with the glasses informing him that the fourth chairmen had fled Tatsushima along with a portion of the kyodai and shatei after Kojia began to kill any that opposed him openly. Norio was asked who he was, he answered truthfully and this begun a fight as the man in glasses lunged toward the held down man only get to get his nose busted. The entire bar eventually began involved in the fight and arrests were made after three of the foreigners laid dead, including the one in glasses.

He allowed himself to be arrested and to be processed. His hearing was quick and without much incident, though he was supported in his claims for self-defense by several of the other tavern-goers. For his involvement and for the murder of the three foreigners, despite self-defense, he was sentenced by a Serelohim judge to serve seven years in the Wes Penitentiary, better known as Sandrot. He served two years until the large prison break in the closing weeks of the Year 999 of the Age of Shadows. He followed several other prisoners westwards toward the village of Vaikne in the county of Rhandil as it is now known to be a mercenary hotspot, in order to blend in and find out more about the Gin-Tora's presence on Eirene.