Character Spotlight – Denizens of the Dark

With Yami and Kyo introduced, now begins the look at the multitude of followers these people have. Yami’s followers consists of a ‘platoon’ of demons while Kyo’s (as his clothing) is a little more varied. Is this some unplanned pattern? Hmm…

Anyway, the primary subordinates that follow Yami are a pair of groups. Yes, that’s it, a pair of groups! hahahah! Ok, I forget why that was supposed to be funny. Anyway. The Prime Fae, after the contention against Erebh and his first attempt to overthrow and destroy the creations of the other Fae, created a few other races for specific purposes. The Dragons were placed within the various worlds of the cosmos, in order to police the world in a more closely tied perspective, to ensure no dangers arose. There was also a select five creatures of spiritual origins, that were intended to watch the cosmos as a whole. These five creatures are based upon the constellations of Chinese and Japanese culture. Those that have watched anime, or study the same sorts of things that I enjoy, will recognize this to some degree.

The Chinese and Japanese both have similar views on these constellations. They were creatures they saw in the stars that represented the different hemispheres of the world, and the different other constellations that resided within each hemisphere. They were assigned cardinal directions, elements, and seasons that it was said they presided over. The names, of course, differed between the Chinese and the Japanese, but there was also another slight difference. The Chinese viewed five creatures, while the Japanese viewed four. What is the difference in those five positions then?

In Japanese view, the four beasts were Genbu, Suzaku, Seiryu, and Byakko. In Chinese view, the same four beasts were Zhi Ming, Ling Guang, Meng Zhang, and Jian Bing. The beasts were separated, as I stated before, by the four seasons, elements, and cardinal directions. Genbu, or Zhi Ming, is the Black Tortoise, depicted at times as having a long tail that is in actuality a snake. He presides over the cardinal direction of North, the season of Winter, and the element of Water. Suzaku, or Ling Guang, is a red bird, with large wings. Often he is depicted as a Phoenix, but there is no such specification in any actual Chinese or Japanese sources other than fictional tales. However, he presides over the cardinal direction of South, the season of Summer, and the element of Fire. Seiryu, or Meng Zhang, presides of the East, the element of Wood, and the season of Spring. He is a serpent-like(Asian depiction) Dragon of an Azure color. Finally, Byakko, or Jian Bing, is represented as a white tiger, presides over the West, the season of Fall, and the element of Metal. Finally, the Chinese had one more beast, who for some reason did not seem to have a name, but was simply called Huanglong. Huanglong means Yellow Dragon, but this creature is sometimes also referred to as a Kirin, which is an entirely different creature. A Kirin is sometimes regarded as an Asian depiction of a Unicorn. Huanglong represented the center and the element of Earth. In the Japanese view, the ‘center’ was called the ‘void’ and had no creature or element tied to it.

Now, my opinion. The five elements listed in the Chinese view of these creatures and constellations are incomplete. Wood and Metal, for instance, are products of the Element of Earth, are they not? So this view basically lists Earth as an element three times, and for some reason leaves out the element of wind. And now, the element of lightning. Yes, I consider it a separate element. Heat existing within the sky, above the clouds, or even in the clouds, causes the gasses in the air to ignite, and streak across the sky. One could say it is a product of fire and wind combining, but then, many of the elements combine already. Water itself is a combination of air. Both Hydrogen and Oxygen are different molecules –different gases– that make up the wind. So thus, Water is a creation of the Wind element, so why isn’t Lightning a separate element? Yes, this same logic could be used to disprove my earlier statement that metal and wood are parts of the earth element, but either way, I still think that lightning is its own element.

Either way, I take this system, from a more Japanese view, and create the five creatures the Prime Fae put into the heavens to watch the world. The Demons were created by Erebh, in his supposed locked away state within the Void, and sent five demons of his creation to possess and take over these spiritual beasts. The Spiritual Beasts; Genbu, Suzaku, Seiryu, Byakko, and my addition, Karatobi, were possessed by the Demonic Beasts; Ganseki, Nenshou, Mizuhou, Hakurou, and Oroubo. For the spiritual beasts, the fifth creature represents the element of wind, instead of a third earth element, while the demons follow the five major elements of my view; fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning, while also having the concept of time added in. For in the Chinese view, that fifth creature, Huanglong, did not have a season tied to them. Well, of course there is only four seasons, but if that last creature represents the center, what do we know of center? The center of a clock is where the hand’s axis sits. The point where the spin of those arms is centered. Thus, that ‘fifth element’ is in actuality, the repetition of those elements. The recurrence of time. And what better way to represent the repetition of time than with the Orouboros.

Here, is a wiki page on what I’m talking about.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols_(Chinese_constellation) )

Long story short (too late! yes, I know, I ramble…) the first group of subordinates to Yami, is the fire demonic beasts petitioned by Erebh, to spy on the cosmos, and turn anything they could towards destruction. Ganseki, The Brown (Earth) Bear. Nenshou, The Red (Fire) Fox. Mizuhou, The Blue (Water) Panther. Hakurou, The White (Wind) Wolf. Oroubo, The Yellow (Time) Snake.

Yami’s other main assortment of subordinates he met personally throughout his exploits under Shoshu’s guidance in learning the power and benefits of being a demon. Their names are not as elaborate, and I’ve been debating changing them, but, for now, they are Slag, the Earth and Crystal demon, Blaze, the Fire demon, Torrent, the Water demon, Volt, the Lightning demon, Gale, the Wind demon, and Mire, the Necromantic demon. There are other demons and subordinates that follow, but these two groups are the primary followers of Yami.

Kyo’s organization is better filled out. As was stated in the previous spotlight post, Kyo overtook the Tokugawa shogunate, and in making it his own, expanded it beyond the previous bounds of what was known as Japan. After interacting with Erebh, the country became an empire that not only consisted of China, Korea, and Japan on Earth, but to various other worlds within the cosmos. Why did this go unseen?

Erebh kept himself within the void, not leaving it, but the creation of the demons kept the Dragons occupied. With the Dragons and the Demons fighting, the Spiritual Beasts were created, to watch the cosmos. Erebh remained within the void, but before long, he sent the Demonic beasts to corrupt the Spiritual Beasts. Thus, the Prime Fae continued to believe Erebh was locked away in the Void, and unable to continue his earlier rebellion. A portion of the void had been carved away, and was turned into the Demonic Realm. There, within that realm, Erebh hid away, and provided the demons with an ever growing library of what existed within the cosmos, and how they could be torn apart.

Demons were not his only means to rebel against the other Fae, however. And so, he was the one who had created Shinihime, and sent her after Kyo. With Kyo’s power, the destruction of all worlds could commence. By extending Kyo’s empire to other worlds, the vampires could expand as well, and fill the other worlds. And that was what he did. Venturing to other worlds, Kyo saw many other types of civilizations, and from the strongest ones, he would select an individual to turn to his ways. Within each of them, was a unique ability, and they would become the Council of Vampires that would lead all their kind. But, vampires were not the only creation to aide the demons in their task. From among the council, they concocted a means to turn the people into various kinds of servants to their will.

There were the enamored mortals, who served based upon a binding of their will. Among such servants were the Hogosha clan, a family of ninja who had served Kyo’s Shogunate since his days confined to the one world of Earth. Among the Hogosha clan was a Necromancer, one who practiced magics that revolved around blood and death. His name was Kosuke, and he was able to rise those that had fallen to serve Kyo’s will. And of course, there were the living servants who were not bound against their will, but served faithfully with the powers granted them by the curse placed upon them by the ritualist of the Hogosha clan, Keiko. With her rituals, she could magically infect anyone with any disease she wished, and upon those who served faithfully, willingly, she blessed them with the ability to join their bodies with the bodies of beasts. And so, the Lycanthropes were born.

The Hogosha clan were more than just ninja, clearly, and practiced many forms of magic as well, but then there were those that simply followed the ways of the shinobi. The clan leaders were Hogosha Kenji and his bride, Kayo. Their family was large, and those that joined the clan, through marriage or otherwise, were often awarded with a name to fit the Hogosha clan’s customs.

Among Kyo’s servants there is also his fellow vampires, such as Motoko, Santino, Aláin, Neville, Adelrich, and Eran. I do not have specific names for the Lycanthrope servants yet, but that shall come soon.

Character Spotlight – A look at the Dark Side

Something something something Dark Side, Something something something Demeteria. =D

So yes, taking a leap back to Repeating History (and it’s sequels) here is a character cluster spotlight really.

The main antagonist is Yami, or as he was previously known, Asakura Tetsuya. I still have to do some looking into Shinto religion, but Yami was a former Samurai in Japan during the time of the first Shogunate. He wasn’t around when it was first formed, but after the Hojo Clan had taken over leadership. He was a child in training, and served as a part of the Shogunate’s military during the Mongol Invasions. He felt (perhaps a popular belief, I’m not sure) that the Hojo lacked honor and were unfit to rule the Shogunate. He took part in many plans to unseat the Hojo, and was around during the two major attempts to put the Emperor back in power. Go-Daigo was imprisoned in the first attempt, and was made emperor in the second, however, the Kamakura Shogunate initiated its rule after the second and once more kept power away from the Emperor. This second shogunate proved to have honor, but was physically weak in Yami’s eyes, and so this was where he began to lose faith in the Shogunate and distanced himself from those with political power. However, it was before this, that he became known as Yami.

Yes, even the world of Earth is tied into my cosmos, though you won’t see me writing anything that takes place on Earth other than flashbacks of those characters that came from there. After the second Mongol Invasion, and before Go-Daigo’s coups, Yami was wandering the forests while training himself to be stronger and cast down the Hojo leadership of the first Shogunate. It was in that forest that he met a demon. This demon was named Shoshu, and was a demon lord of Shadow. He had been in a battle with another demon lord, and had been beaten. His body had been destroyed, and his essence had been sealed within the body of a lizard. Within the body of the lizard, there was little he could do. After a short conversation, he had separated his essence from the lizard, and took over Yami’s body. From that day on, Tetsuya and Shoshu worked together as Yami. Shoshu humored Yami, and allowed him primary control, so he could embark on his quest to find a fitting Shogun to lead Japan in both honor and strength, and so Yami worked in the shadows. He saw to the fall of the second empire, and fought in many battles throughout the Sengoku Era. He even found himself among his own clan once again, and modeled himself as a cousin of Asakura Yoshikage, under the name Asakura Kageakira. Handing over Asakura land to Oda Nobunaga, he then went on to do as much as he could to see Nobunaga as Shogun. On the day of the Hanno-ji incident, Yami went into hiding. With Nobunaga dead, he felt there was no hope for Japan. He sat back and watched as Hideyoshi and Tokugawa feuded with the rebels that had forced Nobunaga into seppuku. He watched Hideyoshi attempt to turn Japan into an empire, and lead failing invasions into Korea and China. He watched as the country devolved into more internal war as Hideyoshi died, leaving his throne to a 5 year old boy. Finally, he watched as Tokugawa finished the task and formed his own Shogunate which lasted for 300 years. However, none of Ieyasu’s descendants had the same fervor and strength that he had, and so the Shogunate had its ups and downs and had come to bore and disgust Yami. At this time, Shoshu would be able to convince Tetsuya to go to the demon world, and learn of what it was to be a demon.

There were many instances in his fights involving the shogunate, where Yami went up against one man repeatedly. Neither would seem to win, both countering the other till they were forced to depart. This man was Aramaki Kyo. Kyo was a follower of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa. During the final stretch of the Sengoku Era, Yami had lent his hand a few times to the forces of Ishida Mitsunari. And it was during the Sekigahara Campaign where Kyo and Yami met for the last time. After parting ways, discontent with how Ishida had been failing against Tokugawa, Yami confronted the man, and gave his peace. Still believing Tokugawa to not be the one to head the Shogunate that could truly succeed where the others had failed, he dispatched of Ishida himself, and carved the kanji for ‘Yami’ into the man’s chest. He did not linger behind however, allowed Tokugawa the chance to claim victory for himself. Then, Yami let Shoshu lead him into the demon world.

Why did Kyo not die against a man with a demon within him? Well, that is because Kyo was not entirely human himself. It was on the day before the incident at Hanno-ji, that a night spent drinking sake with a beautiful woman, kept him apart from his lord, Nobunaga. Confined to a bed through the day, he was unable to be at his lord’s side (even with Nobunaga’s insistence of spending time in solitary meditation at the temple) and defend him. However, it was not simply over drinking and the company of a woman that kept him away, for she was no simple woman. She was a woman of many names all over the world. Looking at her, one would not think her old enough to have seen all the locations she said she had, but tales of land beyond Persia regaled him, and Kyo found himself in the embrace of a vampire by night’s end. All through the day he slept, and by night, he found out about Nobunaga, and the truth of the woman who regaled him with many ‘names’ she held. However, she emphasized one for him; Shinihime.

Kyo went about his own business, and after Yami’s departure from Japan to the demon world, contrary to real life history, Kyo killed Tokugawa and his son, turning the newly formed Empire over to his control in short order. Shinihime did not linger with him for long, and departed on her own journeys, but Kyo’s shogunate would continue on his own path. Unlike Hideyoshi, Kyo would succeed at turning his country into an empire that bridged from the isles of Japan, to the mainland. In short time, however, a magical anomaly would bridge their world with another, and his empire would span multiple worlds. And it all began before he took over the Shogunate, when he met an assassin named Ai Motoko. Employed by Ishida, Motoko was a highly skilled assassin employed to seek out and eliminate high priority targets among Tokugawa’s supporters. Resulting events transpiring, Motoko instead became an associate to Kyo himself, and aided in his take over of the Shogunate after its rule was solidified. From there, Kyo employed many more people that would work in the shadows, including the Shinobi clan; Hogosha. Kyo too learned of the demon world, and was eventually presented with the opportunity to speak with Erebh, who had long since made it appear that his seclusion within the Void was still the prison sentence it was intended as. With association with Erebh, one of the Hogosha clan dabbled in magic, and was able to transport the presence of Kyo’s shogunate to other worlds, and would eventually wind up on Demeteria, on the continent of Telluria.

For many years, Kyo and Yami had parted companies, but in time, they found themselves both on Demeteria, and looking into each other’s eyes once more. But, what comes of their reunion is a mystery, perhaps even to them. Their reunion and new interaction is revealed in the first sequel to Repeating History; The Face of Evil.

Being of Asian descent, both of these characters are of short stature; even shorter than Dorian and Alek (I’ve always had an unexplained tendency to write short characters). Yami has a consistent style of black, having black hair, brown eyes, and an assortment of black clothes. (Black Uwagi, Hakama & Hooded Cloak) while Kyo’s appearance is a bit more varied. Kyo wears a White Kimono with Navy Blue Hakama and Shitagi. Over which, is a gray Haori with blue embroidery of a wolf howling at the moon. Kyo has shoulder-length brown hair, tied back, and brown eyes.