You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Example: (delete this)
Warm shadows strewn about the space from the dimming embers of a singular campfire occupying the center of the tent. Ryuji solemnly settles onto one of the faded cushions that decorated the floor. Her visage was difficult to discern, at a glimpse she appears to be a youthful maiden at the precipice of adulthood. She watched him intently across the dying flames with mirthful eyes.
“In my early youth, my younger brother and I were the heirs to a small merchant clan in the Shogunate of Koyo-kuni.” Ryuji began, his voice calm yet weighted. “My father was a respectable leader, known for his kindness and acumen within his field. Those were comfortable and peaceful times... I have fond memories with my clansmen as they were all good people who deeply cared about one another. It seemed as though our future would continue as such, but it is a fickle thing... the future.”
The embers continue to crackle as its flames slowly dwindles. The woman’s visage further becomes indiscernible as their surroundings become dimmed. “Even the smallest of trees can bear the biggest of fruits, when nourished by its surroundings.” she replies with a warm smile and saddened eyes as a mother would when consoling her child.
Ryuji paused. Flickers of ember reflecting upon his eyes, anchored beneath were deep seated resentments and anguish. “Later on our clan experienced financial difficulties. The clan-head, in search of means to alleviate the clan from this predicament, accepted a task to transport valuable goods for a well known bigger and more established clan-” Before continuing, Ryuji takes another pause to recite a few lines of mantras that were too indistinct to be heard.
“Unbeknownst to my good natured father, our employers had ties with our competitors and had colluded amongst themselves for the demise of our small establishment. The caravan he was leading was ambushed which resulted in the loss of the goods meant to be delivered, and the lives of many of our clansmen... including that of my father. My younger brother, Chiseki, and I were left orphaned and destitute.” The flicker of light reflecting from his eyes now seemingly gone as he lowers his gaze.
“Struggling to find myself within the cruelty and pain of those days, I made an agonizing choice. I left my younger brother in the care of distant relatives and joined a traveling monk who offered me with discipleship. The monastery provided me with minimal sustenance and a small stipend, which I sent back to Chiseki.”
The woman’s gaze softened into pity, her hands which showed years of toiling the earth now rested upon the table before her. Ryūji continued, his voice steady but now tinged with a deep, enduring sorrow. “In the monastery, I found a semblance of stability and purpose. I threw myself into spiritual discipline, seeking redemption from my grudges and inner demons. Yet, my separation from Chiseki was a heavy burden I carried... perhaps till this day. I longed to offer him more than just a trickle of support .”
Ryuji raises his gaze to meet that of her’s. “Years have passed and my brother and I finally reunited, however it was to be expected that things were no longer the same as it was before. The hardships he had endured molded him into a solitary and pragmatic individual. Distant to the world and to the bonds we had when we were youths.”
