Infobox
Kenji (He/Him)
Pronounced: “K-en-ji”
Bio
| ---|---| Race | Human | Sex | Male | Age | | Sexuality | | Alignment | | Condition | Alive |
Info
| ---|---| Aliases | | Occupations | | Groups | | Religions | Erudasu no shinja | Current Location | Rosen Wheel |
Who is this person?
Overview
TBD
Traits
Personality
Social
Mental
Likes/Dislikes Likes -
Dislikes -
Goals
Personal
Professional
Relationships:
Acquaintances
Backstory:
Prolog:
Kajiya fell for many reasons but the main reason for it was the invasion by the Yaban Hito. The Yaban Hito are a group of sea faring barbarians that would go from island to island stealing and pillaging anything they could. They had dealt with the Yaban Hito many times in the past by hiring mercenaries to protect the islands. They would receive word from neighboring islands that they had seen the Yaban Hito nearby and they would then hire the mercenaries and supply them with weapons. But due to the precious metals collapse and the recent influx of darksteel into the market, Kajiyan steel wasn’t selling as much as it normally would which meant the emperor didn’t have the money to hire mercenaries. With the incoming fleet of barbarians approaching the final emperor of Kajiya, Saishū kōtei, quickly scrambled together the small army and pleaded the citizens to join and help protect their homeland. And many did. He quickly had them trained the best they could and provided them with the best weaponry available. He ordered the evacuation of the islands but few did. The citizens wanted to die in their homeland and not on some foreign land. In the morning, in the year 29843, Saishu and the army donned their armor for the final time, they marched to the southern shores of Nogoyo with the blessings of Eldath in their hearts and their swords in their hands. Saishu led the army, determined to either defend his homeland or die trying. When they reached the southern shores around midday, Saishu wrote down his final thoughts should he die tonight. A small excerpt reads “I have lived a good life. I am not afraid of dying. Should I die tonight, I will get to see the beautiful face of Eldath smile upon as I join her once again.” As night fell the army and Saishu readied themselves for the approaching battle. They saw the blaring orange lights from the torches of the Yaban Hito appear on the horizon. Once the Yaban Hito made landfall the army rushed them kiling many as they hit the land. But as more boats reached the shore the overwhelming number and skill of the Yaban Hito was just too much for the army. There is only one known survivor from that night on the shore. Many other citizens were able to survive, because they were left to tell the story and brutality of the Yaban Hito.
Part 1:
Seto Kenji is a human with black hair that he keeps in a bun. He was born in Shihon, the capital city of Kajiya, with 2 loving parents. His father, Seto Sanzo a human man in his early 30s at the time with black hair usually kept up in a bun, he was a member of the royal guard and his mother, Seto Tomi a human woman in her early 30s as well with long brown hair that she kept down, she was a traditional housewife. Growing up, Kenji had trouble making friends. So he spent most of his free time watching his father train. When he was old enough, he would spar with his father. Sanzo was different from the rest of the royal guard because he would always have his roningassa on whenever he was on duty. He quickly gained interest in the art of battle and war. He read history books of wars fought in far off distant lands and study different fighting techniques. His father noticed his interest and taught him how to use a sword. He caught on quickly, easily mastering the basics. His father continued training him late into his early teenage years. Sanzo said “let your mind guide your strikes, not your emotions. Eldath will do the rest”. As he was teaching him about the art of the blade he taught him about Erudasa no Shinja. Sanzo believed that fighting was unnecessary and diplomacy was a better option, that Eldath would keep them out of harm’s way. Through his training with his father Kenji became deeply religious believing that Eldath would allow no harm to come to them no matter what. As Kenji entered his late teen years, he rivaled his father in the art of dueling. His father realized his potential and recruited him into the royal guard. Kenji became the youngest person to join the royal guard, joining at only 19 years old. After he joined the royal guard he moved out of his parent’s house now that he was making his own money. He started sparring with the older
members, the older members easily beating him. But he was determined to get better. One member he got particularly close to was an older member named Sano Kai. Kai was a half orc in his late 40s he had gray hairs that he would keep in a ponytail. Kai treated Kenji like a younger brother and took him under his wing. They quickly bonded and became quick friends. Kai was Kenji’s first real friend. Sanzo didn’t like the idea of them being friends but he was happy to see Kenji making a friend. Kai taught him more about his blade and how to wield it. He taught him about the special steel that was used to make it. After learning this, Kenji respected his blade much more. Another member of the royal guard he became close to was a girl that was a year older than him named Moteki Misu. She was a human girl with black hair that she would keep in a high ponytail. Misu was very resentful towards Kenji, because before him she was the youngest member to join the royal guard and he took that title from her. Kenji was still socially awkward so he didn’t understand why she was so angry with him. Kenji offered to spar with her, Misu jumping at the opportunity to prove her talent. As they sparred, neither of them could get the upper hand on another eventually leading to a draw. Misu was furious with herself because she was unable to best him. Kenji was indifferent about the result of the match. Kenji tried to befriend her after the match, extending his hand for a handshake, but she shrugged him off. Still angry with herself for not winning. Kenji couldn’t understand why she was acting like this but there was something about her that drawed him to her. Usually when someone didn’t like him he ignored it and focused on himself. But there was something different with her. He felt something that he had never felt before when he was near her. He wanted her to like him. He ignored this feeling initially, but as the days continued, and he kept training with Kai and sparring with Misu, this undeniable feeling didn’t go away. And eventually he couldn’t ignore it. One day after sparring with Misu, as she was about to leave he called out to her. “Wait!” He yelled She turned around and looked at him in disgust “what?” she said “I was wondering if you maybe umm wanted to go get something to eat with me?” he asked nervously She looked at him surprised, “why would I want to go anywhere with you?” “I kinda feel like we got off on the wrong foot and wanted to make it up to you” he said “Oh” she hesitated for a few seconds “fine but you’re paying” Kenji was ecstatic that she agreed. They went to a local restaurant and began to talk. As they talked, they realized they had a lot more in common than they thought. Both of them were interested in the art of war and started training from a young age. Neither of them had very many friends as well. They kept talking, sharing experiences from their childhood and just making general conversation. Their food came and they ate. Before they left though, Misu apologized for how she acted. Misu looked up at Kenji “I’m sorry for how I treated you. I was just jealous of you” she said and then quickly looked away Kenji smiled “It’s okay. We both know I’m the better fighter anyway” he said jokingly Misu laughed and shoved him playfully “shut up, neither of us have won yet” They left the restaurant and waved goodbye to each other and walked him. After that day, Misu and Kenji would walk around the palace everyday after training and sparring. Kenji became good friends with Kai and Misu. Months started to pass and eventually, Kenji was able to beat Kai. Kai was proud of him and took the loss honorably. Kai and Kenji became such good friends
that Kenji would spend nights at Kai’s house. Sanzo didn’t mind this because he knew Kai and knew no harm would come from this. Kenji kept a good relationship with his parents, making sure to visit them at least once a week. Sanzo and Kenji would talk and train daily at the palace. Life was going good for Kenji. As the first year in the guard passed by, he kept growing increasingly close with Misu, she would even stay at his house sometimes. But that same year the precious metal collapse sent the nation into a depression. Many citizens became homeless and starving in the streets. The emperor commanded the guard to hand out rations in the streets to the civilians. For 5 months, the guard took care of the civilians. This took a massive toll on the guard, barely having any time to sleep. When the emperor received word that the Yaban Hito were spotted at a nearby island, he pleaded with the citizens to join the army and protect their homeland. And many did. The royal guard combined with the help of the emperor, trained them to the best of their ability in the short time frame they had. He ordered the rest of the citizens to evacuate but few did, determined to either live or die in their homeland. The day before the Yaban Hito were supposed to arrive, Misu asked to see Kenji. Misu arrived at Kenji’s house “We need to talk” Kenji let her in and shut the door behind her, but before Kenji could say anything Misu wrapped her arms around Kenji and began to cry “I’m so scared Kenji, there’s no way we can win. What are we going to do?” she said in between tears Kenji hugged her back “We’re gonna be okay, this is what we trained for” “But… what if I lose you?” she said as she looked up into his eyes His eyes widened in surprise as she said this “Don’t talk like that. I’m not gonna die, and neither are you. We’re too strong for that” he says She smiles and laughs softly “You always were a joker. Thank you, I needed this” He smiles back “No problem, now get out of here you need your rest for tomorrow” She nodded and left. The next morning the small army and the royal guard gathered around the palace. The emperor donned his armor and blade and led the march to the southern shore, where the Yaban Hito were arriving. They reached the southern shore around midday. Kenji found his father meditating on the beach. He approached him and sat down next to him and meditated with him. When they stopped, they began to talk with each other making lighthearted conversation. They talked about Kenji’s childhood, his training, and anything else he could think of. As Kenji was about to leave, Sanzo stopped him. “Wait” Sanzo said “What is it?” Kenji replied “I want you to have this” He pulled his blade out from his side and held it in his hands. The sheath was a light pink with ornate black lotus flowers decorating the length of it. He removed the blade from it’s sheath, the blade being almost pitch black, with a dark sheen. The hamon was splotchy and dotted looking like a winding river. “This katana has been passed down for generations from Seto to Seto” he held out to him Kenji shoved it back to him “I’m not taking this” “You must” Sanzo said “No, it’s not your time. You still have years before that sword is mine” he put the sword back onto his father’s waist
Sanzo frowned “We will see” Kenji began to walk away, he looked back at his father and bowed “I’ll see you after the battle” He walked away from his father and went to find Kai sparring with one of the newly recruited citizens. He waited for the match to finish and approached Kai. “That looked easy” Kenji said as he approached Kai Kai laughed heartily “Of course it was! I’ve been training my whole life!” Kenji laughed as well and his tone became serious “Kai I need you to be honest with me, what are our chances of winning?” his voice quiet Kai’s smiled faded “If you’ve got anything important to say to someone, I would do it now” he said in a sorrowful tone Kenji nodded “I’ll see you after the battle, drinks are on me!” he said acting like nothing happened. Kai smiled, “You better have a lot of money!” Kenji walked away from Kai and went to find Misu. He found her sitting on the shore with her sword on the ground beside her. He sat down next to her. “It’s pretty down here” he said to her “Yeah, I might’ve been able to enjoy myself if it weren’t for the circumstances” she said “We might as well enjoy the scenery while we’re here” he said “Yeah you’re right” she looked out over the ocean “Misu, I need to tell you som-” before he could finish his sentence, she put a finger to his lips and shushed him “Shut up, you can tell me once this is over” she looked up at him with hope in her eyes Kenji nodded “alright” They sat together for hours making conversation, trying to distract themselves from their circumstances. As the sun began to set, the emperor gathered the army together and began designating positions to people, with most of the royal guard in the front fighting the bulk of them. Once everyone was in their positions, they waited for what felt like hours but was in reality, just a few minutes. Once the sun set they saw the blazing orange torches of the Yaban Hito start to emerge from over the horizon. As their boats drew closer to the shore the emperor yelled out “Be not afraid! Eldath will guide our blades!” filling them all with confidence. As they made landfall they began flooding out of their boats, rushing the royal guard positioned at the front. At first things were going well, as they were able to stand their ground and kill them as they were charging them. But as the battle continued, boats started to land all around them. Forcing them to split up and fight on different fronts. As they split up, Kenji saw his first real taste of war. Up until now he had only read of it, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the real thing. It was bloody and brutal. People being slaughtered left and right. He thought “How could Eldath allow this?” his faith and confidence started to waver, but he quickly steeled his resolve and charged the front lines. He killed as many as he could but the small army’s numbers were starting to thin. Eventually it was just him fighting off the horde of barbarians. And as he was getting overrun he saw his father come to his aid, his blade moving like a flower petal in the wind, swift and unpredictable. He moved from target to target in the blink of an eye. He quickly butchered them all. He grabbed his son’s arm and said to him “come on! They need our help on the eastern front!” Kenji nodded, not thinking about his own life, only concerned with the lives of others. They ran to the eastern front, they saw Kai fighting with a few remaining peasants. They
quickly ran to help and killed all of the attackers. Sanzo told the peasants to run and to not look back. They did as they were told, dropping their weapons. The 3 of them huddled up and discussed their options, knowing they either ran or died defending their home. They decided to fight until the bitter end, dying among friends. As they left the huddle, a faint whistling sound was heard, and it got louder and louder and louder until suddenly, an arrow penetrated him through his back. Blood started to pour out of his wound as he collapsed to the ground. A lone archer survived the battle, he stood their smirking knowing he had killed one. As Kai saw him standing there, smirking, his eyes filled with rage and he dropped his sword and started walking towards the archer, fear started to fill the archer’s eyes seeing the unbridled fury in the warrior’s eyes. The archer was frozen in fear as Kai approached him. Kai picked him up by the throat and threw him to the ground, Kai started pummeling him. As Kai started to walk towards the archer, Kenji fell to his knees next to his father as tears began to pour from his eyes. “No no no, NOT NOW! You can’t leave me, I need you!”. The thought entered his head again, “Why would Eldath allow this? All this senseless violence”. Sanzo saw this in his son’s eyes. He reached up and gently grabbed his arm, “It’s okay. I’m going back to Eldath. You are stronger than I’ll ever be, remember that. As long as you follow your heart, you’ll do great things. I lov-” he wheezed out his final breath mid sentence. Kenji watched the life leave his eyes and his grip released on his arm, it fell back down to his side. Kenji collapsed onto his father’s corpse and started crying. He stayed there for a few minutes, crying. When he raised his head, his eyes were empty. All life had left him. The only thing left inside him was rage. He picked up his father’s katana and stabbed his own katana into the ground next to him. He took his roningassa off of his father’s head and put it on. He stood up and saw Kai pummeling the archer. He strapped the katana to his side and began walking to where he heard screaming. The only thought filling his head was “I wasn’t strong enough” and “Eldath has left us” He saw the battleground and saw a few remaining peasants trying their best to defend themselves. He drew the blade from its sheath. It was surprisingly light as he held it in his hands. Blood already coating the blade. As he held the blade, he felt something change inside him. He was oddly calm. He ran towards the enemies, with no emotion on his face. He was swift and deadly, killing them in one blow. He had never felt this way before. He felt one with the blade, almost like it was an extension of his body. He kept slaughtering them fighting them off, but eventually it even became too much for him. They overwhelmed him. He had 2 choices: die or run. In his heart he wanted to die. He didn’t see the point of living anymore, seeming to forget about Misu. But the blade wouldn’t allow him. The blade had some kind of hold over him. It wouldn’t allow him to die, not here and not now. He began to run from the enemy, trying his hardest to turn around and fight but he couldn’t. As he was running his vision faded to black. When he woke up, he was in the middle of the ocean floating on a piece of wood from one of the boats. He looked to the island and saw it burning. It was no longer the place he grew up in, the place he trained in, the place he fell in love in. It was a smoldering hellscape, completely unrecognizable from what it once was. The only thing he could do was scream and cry, frantically kicking trying to swim back to the shore but the current dragged him out to sea. He drifted at sea for several days. Alone with his thoughts. He wondered how he got out to the ocean. He wondered what this sword was.
He wondered if Misu survived, if his mom survived, if Kai survived. Then his mind wandered to Eldath. “How could Eldath allow this? She’s supposed to protect the peace! Not bring war to our shores!” he thought. His rage festered and grew. His mind drew to one conclusion, “Eldath doesn’t care about us anymore”. And in that moment he renounced his faith, determined to decide his destiny and not let ‘some stupid goddess’ control his fate. After this he had only one thought in his mind “I wasn’t strong enough”. This thought was the most prevalent in his mind. He thought about it for hours and hours on end while he was at sea. Thinking about how all his training didn’t help him. He decided if he couldn’t save his father, he was going to save everyone else. He was going to protect anyone he could. He wouldn’t let anyone else die. Then his mind drifted back to his friends and loved ones. He didn’t know if they were alive. He wasn’t going to give up on them either. He was going to find Misu, Kai, and his Mom. And if he couldn’t, he was going to kill the bastards that destroyed his home. Every. Last. One of them.
Part 2:
He eventually washed up in Yellowthorn. He crawled up the shore and stood up. He salvaged what parts of his water and battle ruined armor he could, and left it behind. He walked into town, looking aged much past his years from the battle and years of intensive training. He walked into a local armor shop. He asked for leather armor, but realizing he had no money he asked if he could do some errands for the armor. The shopkeep obliged and he went around making deliveries and shipments. He returned and collected his armor. He put it on and noticed how bland it was. His armor had the crest of Erudasu no Shinja on it, and was colorful and ornate. This was flavorless. Kenji was never one for aesthetics but this wasn’t good enough for him. He thought about what he could put on his armor, refusing to put the sigil of his former faith on his armor, he looked down at his blade and saw the black lotus flowers all over the sheath. He decided that’s what he would do. He heated up a knife he had borrowed from the shopkeep and crudely drew a lotus flower on his right shoulder pad. It didn’t look good but it was good enough for him. He handed the shopkeep back his knife and left the shop. He went to the local mercenaries guild, trying to get some money he took a simple escort mission. He arrived at the spot and the thing he was escorting was a trading caravan that was going north to Korvosa. He got on the back of the caravan and they set out. It would take one full day of travel to get to their destination. As they rode the heat blistered down on them. Nothing happened during the day, but as the sun began to set, and the air began to cool down thing began to shift among the sand. He heard a scream from the front of the cart. He jumped out and ran to the front of the cart and saw 3 bandits there. He quickly drew his blade and that same calmness washed over him as it did before. His mind became clear and he saw what he needed to do. He easily cut down the 3 bandits and sheathed his sword all while not saying a word. He moved to the back of the cart and hopped back on. The rest of the ride was peaceful, as he took a long needed rest. They arrived at Korvosa and he collected his money. Before he left, he asked them if any of them knew about the Yaban Hito but none of them knew. He frowned and nodded, leaving the merchants. He went around the local taverns asking about the Yaban Hito but nobody knew what he was talking about. But, someone said that if he wanted answers he needed to go to a bigger city like the Crimson Palisade or Rosen Wheel. He thanked them for their help. Went to a mercenary guild again that would take him further north. He found a delivery to Bilge City. He accepted it and made his way to Bilge City. The package was just a note. He memorized the note and threw it away. As he began walking to Bilge City, more bandits attacked him but he easily disposed of them. Before he arrived in Bilge City, the merchants from Yellowthorn seemed to have been talking about him and his fighting prowess. They called him the Red
Lotus, because when he was done with them the ground was painted red. When he arrived in Bilge City, he started to get weird looks from passersby on the street. Whispers that the Red Lotus was in town began to go around. Kenji arrived at the location and delivered the message. He collected his money. He began to question people about the Yaban Hito, but once again no one knew. While he was questioning someone in a local tavern, a little elf girl with long blonde hair approached him. She had a violin on her back. She walked up to him, not even reaching above his waist and tapped him “are you the Red Lotus?” He looked down at her confused, “The who?” She saw the lotus flower symbol on his shoulder pad “You are! You have to help me! Please!” He looked down at her still confused “With what?” “I’m trying to get to Rosen Wheel, I’ve got a performance there!” She said excitedly His eyes widened “What will you give me?” She thinks for a few moments “well I’m supposed to get 500 gold pieces for my performance there so I guess I can give you half” “Good enough” lets get going. They left the tavern together walking side by side. Beginning the walk to quench. “So what’s your name?” Kenji asked “Veronica Green. What’s yours?” she asked “Kenji” He replied “That’s boring, Red Lotus is much cooler. I think I’ll call you red instead” she said in a childish tone Kenji shrugged “alright” They walked and talked for a while talking about their pasts and where they came from. Kenji lied to scare the girl and told her he came from a small village in the Daqha. The sun began to set and they made camp for the night. As they made camp, Kenji started a fire and Veronica did her best to set up their tents but Kenji had to do it in the end. They sat around the fire in silence for a while before Veronica spoke “You want me to play you a song?” she asked excitedly “Sure why not” Kenji replied “Yay!” she took the violin off her back and began to play slowly and softly, a soothing melody emanated from her violin. Kenji felt good as she played this, he felt happy for the first time since the battle. He noticed a bruise he had gotten early in the day began to heal and disappear as the tranquil song washed over him. She finished the song. “How did you do that?” he asked surprised “What?” she asked “You healed my bruise with your song!” he said “Oh yeah that, I’ve got some kind of magical powers so whenever I play music something happens. That’s why so many people come to my shows!” “Huh, I’ve never seen that before” a thought popped into his mind “Where are your parents?” “Oh they’re on tour! I would’ve gone with them but I had this performance first” she said “And they just let you off on your own?” he asked “Yeah! They know I can handle myself. I’m going to sleep now, night night” she yawned and instantly fell asleep
Kenji laughed to himself forgetting what children were like. He stared up at the stars and wondered, “are they alive?”. That thought plagued his mind. “No” he thought and pushed it out of his mind. Determined to find them. They awoke in the morning and packed up their camp. They began walking again, reaching Quench in the early hours of the morning. They stopped only to get more food and water, and then continued onto Pilferwall. Veronica and Kenji kept talking to one another. She was a natural entertainer, making the normally stoic warrior giggle like a kid. Surprisingly they made it to Pilferwall with no attacks and continued on to Ironvale. They camped during the night and made it to Ironvale around noon. Veronica looked worried. “You alright Veronica?” Kenji asked “I don’t like this place, its scary” she said with a fearful tone “It’s alright I’ll protect you. I mean that’s what you’re paying me for right?” he said jokingly She laughed, easing some of her fear “you’re funny” she clinged to his leg still a little bit scared. They walked through the town together. Making it through with no trouble and continuing on to their final destination. They camped one last time together. “Hey! I got an idea! You wanna come to my show?” she asked “Didn’t you say it was sold out?” he replied “Yeah it is but they always give me free tickets for family and since my parents aren’t coming I could give them to you.” she said “I appreciate the offer but I can’t I’m looking for someone” he replied “Aww, alright well night night” she said sounding a little disappointed and fell asleep Kenji stared up the stars again enjoying her presence. She was so innocent, something Kenji sorely needed. Then that thought entered his head again “What if they’re all dead and I’m doing this for nothing?”. He let the thought linger for a little longer this time but then pushed it out of his mind. He went to sleep. He was transported back to the battlefield in the middle of it, his father next to him. They fought valiantly together, but he died. He had this same nightmare over and over again, watching his father die dozens of times. He woke up abruptly in a cold sweat, with his blade drawn. He sheathed it and went back to sleep. They woke up in the morning and packed up their camp. They walked to Rosen Wheel and made it to the front gate. He looked to his left and saw a ship pull into the harbor. It looked like it had seen war and was barely staying afloat. He saw a group of 6 get off the boat as the guards approached them. The guard started questioning them and the 6 descended from the boat. A guard began to yell and but then abruptly stopped and the 6 entered the city. He thought it was weird that a boat was coming from Lonesome. He had heard that something bad had happened there so seeing a boat coming from there was odd but he paid it no mind and approached the front gate. The guard at the gate stopped them but he had recognized Veronica and let them pass. We walk inside the city together. “You okay from here?” Kenji asked “Yeah I’ll be fine. Oh here” she handed him a note with an address on it “Meet me here for your money” Kenji took it and tore it up “I’ll be okay without it. You’re company was more than payment” “But you deserve it!” she said loudly “It’s fine, I’ll be okay without it. Good luck with your show. I hope we meet again” he said “Bu-” before she could say another word Kenji disappeared into the crowd, leaving her alone in the middle of the city. Kenji went to multiple taverns around the city trying to find any
information, but know one knew. He eventually found out about the layers of the city. He determined that it would be easier to find information in the lower layers, so he took a Hellshoot down to the first layer. He didn’t have enough money to get any lower. He went to a tavern and asked a couple elves sitting at the bar how he could get down further in the layers. They tell him to do these bounties and they’ll help him get further down. They give him a find bounty and a kill bounty. He chooses to do the kill bounty first, knowing he’ll get it done quickly.