NPC Descriptions

[elonweis]

The Half Moon

• Yoritomo Uminushi
• Moshi Kaimenko
• Isawa O-Washi

Others

• Daidoji Kiriyo
• Kasuga Nguryi
• Yoritomo Soyoko

[Isawa O-Washi]

Name: Isawa O-Washi
Profession: Shugenja, Gunso in the Ninth Imperial Legion, Chui in the Tsunami Legion (currently reserve due to Imperial appointment)
Age: 20 (born 7th Day of the Goat, 1150)
Marital Status: Determinedly Single
Height: 6'2
Weight: 195 lbs
Hair: Black, cut short
Eyes: Shifting shades of blue

Isawa O-Washi, second ranked of the Half Moon's two gunso, is a young man who has already lived an interesting life despite his relative youth. He fought in the War of Fire and Thunder, participated in the defense of the Capital during the assault by the Unicorn, and has been in assorted lesser skirmishes off and on throughout his time as a full samurai. Where many men, especially those who were raised among the pacifistic priests of the Phoenix, would have grown somber or withdrawn after so many battles, O-Washi has grown, if anything, even more boisterous and energetic than he was when he started, which is saying a great deal. Friendly almost to an offensive degree, the young officer has no obvious preset grudges and appears to have truly embraced the way of the Imperial Legions where all men and women, regardless of Clan, serve as brothers.

Everything about the young man is larger than life...his laugh, his voice, his gestures when telling a story, and of course his person. Were it not for the obviously Isawa cast to his features, despite the eyes, one might be easily forgiven for mistaking O-Washi for a member of the Crab Clan, a mistake that has been made by more than one over the course of the young priest's life. He takes it in stride, even taking a certain degree of pride in the matter...his best friend and mentor in the legions is, after all, a man of the Yasuki family. Tanned, heavily muscled, and bearing more than a few interesting scars, O-Washi proves that not every Phoenix meekly accepts the role of pacifist.

Often found near the big man is his hawk, Sensuifu. The huge seabird, like it's master, is remarkably social for it's breed and will often descend from it's preferred perch on the foremast to join in large gatherings of samurai as if loathe to let anything interesting pass without observation and supervision. Music especially sets the bird into fits of great excitement and he will often bob along with the sounds in a strange avian version of dance.

Made your Glory roll? PM GM Rixy for more details!

[Moshi Kaimenko]

Name: Moshi Kaimenko
Profession: Shugenja, Gunso in the Ninth Imperial Legion
Age: 23 (born 21st Day of the Dragon, 1148)
Marital Status: Unmarried
Height: 5'7"
Build: Athletic
Hair: Black, waist length
Eyes: Brown

Demeanor:
Kaimenko was not born to the sea. No. But it has become her home.

The Moshi should have (and would have) been dedicated to one of her Family's temples save for the intervention of Fate. Gruff at best, the shugenja becomes downright hostile when accosted with questions regarding her past and the path that brought her to the ship. Still, there is a competent sailor and teacher behind her mistrustful eyes and sharp tongue.

On the Half Moon, Kaimenko oversees the maintenance and upkeep of the ship as well as the working of its on-board armaments. She's proven to be a deft hand with both and takes pride in keeping the ship in tip top condition. Perhaps that's the reason the Captain keeps her around.

Appearance:
The shugenja is a practical woman and her dress reflects that. Like her Captain, she favors cottons over silks onboard the Half Moon and goes about barefoot. Kaimenko spares no time for fripperies, believing that such concerns are a waste when there's a ship to see to.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

Name: Yoritomo Uminushi
Profession: Taisa in the Ninth Imperial Legion
Age: 31 (born 1st Day of the Tiger, 1139)
Marital Status: Married
Height: 5'10"
Build: Wiry
Hair: Black, short, unkempt
Eyes: Blue

Demeanor:
The Captain, as he prefers to be called, is an energetic man with a carefree attitude. A trickster's glint in his eyes, some of his crew wonder if there wasn't a hengeyokai in the Mantis' bloodline. As expected of a Yoritomo, he pays little heed to the relative station of his crew and gives each and every member respect according to their skill and usefulness. Uminushi himself is a deft hand with the Half Moon and has yet to fail to bring his men and ship back to port.

Even so, it's hard to believe that this is the same man who built his career in the Imperial Navy by hunting down the sea-faring enemies of the Empire.

Appearance:
In port, Uminushi dresses as one would expect a man of his position to dress. He wears the more formal kimono and hakama with a casual ease, betraying no hint of discomfort. However, as soon as the ship leaves port the fine silks are set aside for more practical cotton fisherman's pants and sleeveless tops. Footwear is also abandoned in favor of bare feet, the better to feel the heart of the ship. The only pieces of jewelry he wears is an earring dangling from his right ear and a protective charm on his left wrist.

[Rixy]

Name: Daidoji Kiriyo
Profession: Bushi, Chui in the Ninth Imperial Legion, Captain of the Orochi's Wake (Training Ship of the Fourth Flotilla)
Age: 28 (born 15th Day of the Ox, 1142)
Marital Status: Married
Height: 5'4
Weight: 135 lbs
Hair: White, waist length but usually tied at least partially back.
Eyes: Blue

Daidoji Kiriyo is the model of Crane beauty and refinement...as long as she's standing still and not talking. Her every action marks her as a predator, her rolling gait characteristic of one who has spent many years at sea. Second only to Yoritomo Uminushi in rank and experience, the Crane woman shows the effects of her upbringing among the Yasuki. She was one of those who followed Yasuki Hachi when he took over that family for a brief time, training among the Crab and taking up many of their ways, including coarse language and a love of battle. When the former Emerald Champion was supplanted by Jinn-Kuen, she, like many, joined the Daidoji and the Crane instead of swearing full loyalty to the Crab...not her choice, but that of her new husband at the time. That act is said to be at the heart of their rather bitter marriage and the reason the woman prefers life at sea to life on land.

As an officer, Kiriyo conducts herself with cold efficiency. Those under her command emerge from her tutelage well-versed in reconnaissance and particularly good at using a ship's armaments to scuttle ships. She believes in taking no prisoners, firm in her belief that it's best just to let the Fortunes sort out one's enemy instead of risking being double-crossed or tricked.

[Rixy]

Name: Kasuga Nguryi
Profession: Courtier, Chui in the Ninth Imperial Legion, Captain of the Sea's Bounty (Supply Ship of the Fourth Flotilla)
Age: 22 (born 2nd Day of the Tiger, 1148)
Marital Status: Single
Height: 5'7
Weight: 165 lbs
Hair: Black and waistlength, tied back in a tail.
Eyes: Deep brown

Kasuga Nguryi is an oddity amongst the officers of the Flotilla, being more of an administrator than a warrior. Still, he is a masterful sailor and easily the best oceanographer out of the four Captains. He is clever, has an incredible memory for detail, and if pushed is no slouch with a knife. Still, his ship is meant to keep the others supplied and he knows this very well, deferring to the others in all matters remotely related to military action. Still, he is the quickest to spot an unusual opportunity of any of the group which is likely the only reason he gets any respect at all from his fellows.

Nguryi is a personable young man, bearing that peculiar sort of charm that falls just this side of seeming false. He has wealth and has no qualms against showing it. His private cabin is said to be full of wonders that most Rokugani couldn't possibly imagine and he seems to enjoy the wild suppositions of his juniors, only smiling when questioned and never giving anything away.

[Volsung]

Name: Yoritomo Soyoko
Profession: Bushi, Chui in the Ninth Imperial Legion, Captain of the Rampant Ray (Battle Ship of the Fourth Flotilla)
Age: 25 (Born 5th Day of the Hare, 1156)
Marital Status: Married
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 150 lbs
Hair: Short, Black, and scruffy
Eyes: Light Brown

Soyoko is a premier sailor and can smell a storm two days away. The only problem is that he has never wanted to be a sailor. The third son of the Commander of the Second Storm, Soyoko's life has been planned out for him long in advance by his controlling father, Yoritomo Masao. Soyoko has a love for money and would prefer to spend his days making deals and winning koku for the clan. His father thinks that such matters should be left to those who don't have the blood of a warrior in their veins. A hero of the Mantis-Ivory Kingdoms War, Soyoko's father gained many allies and friends in high places, enough to place his son under his command during the War of Fire and Thunder. Soyoko served well enough to get himself noticed with some help from his father and soon enough found himself shoved off to the Ninth Imperial Legion. During one of his tours home, shortly after the absorption of the Kitsune into the Mantis clan, he ran into a Kitsune and the two were eventually quite happily married. His marriage gives Soyoko even more reason to get away from the Imperial Legions, but for now he must do his duty to his Empire, his Clan, and his father.

Soyoko is a rather withdrawn man. A brilliant strategist, he has a way of positioning a ship to be just in the right spot at the right time, but he lacks the boisterous nature of most other sailors and that means he is rarely a popular man among the crew. He leaves most such duties to his Gunso while he prefers to remain aloof and uninvolved with most others. An ideal that is easier said than done when cramped on a ship.

[Jayant Utpal]

Name: Jayant Utpal
Profession: Kshatriya, Sailor, Survivor
Age: 21
Marital Status: Unmarried
Height: 5' 11"
Build: Strong
Hair: Black
Eyes: Deep Brown

It's difficult to say what exactly is on this gaijin's mind. He is clearly a wary and careful man. Always watching his surroundings and careful of his speech, though that may just be because there are so few on the ship that he can speak to. Still, the way he walks reveals that he is a veteran on a ship and is used to giving orders on a ship. It also becomes quickly apparent that he has considerable skill with a knife. What else is obvious is that there is something driving the man. He has a goal in mind and he seems intent to see it done.

Still, for all his wary looks and lack of speaking, he is quick with a smile and a laugh when he is amused. Quick with a story or a set of dice, anything to pass the time on board faster.