Hiruma Yasuji

• NAME: Hiruma Yasuji
• CLAN: Crab
• SCHOOL: Hida Bushi RANK: 3
• Age: 20 Sex: Male Height: 5'5"
• Physical Description: Solid-boned, young

face, about 4% body fat, no left ear, small burn pockmarks on arm, clean-shaven.

• FIRE 2 AIR 2

Intelligence 2 Awareness 2 Agility 3 Reflexes 3

• EARTH 4 WATER 3

Willpower 4 Perception 3 Stamina 4 Strength 4

• VOID 3
• GLORY 4.1
• HONOR 1.3
• INSIGHT 180
• TN TO BE HIT: 15 (25 in armor)
• Wounds Dice Penalty

____(0-8) -0 ____(9-16) -1 ____(17-24) -2 ____(25-32) -3 ____(33-40) -4 ____(41-48) Down ____(49-56) Out ____(57-64) Dead

SCHOOL TECHNIQUES

• Way of the Crab
• Mountain Does Not Move
• Two Pincers, One Mind

KOBO JIUJITSU TECHNIQUES

(pp. 138-144, Bearers of Jade)

• Break the Bones
• Slam the Gates
• Drunk Bushi
• Hida's Lesson
• Tear-Giving

ADVANTAGES

Quick, Ancestor: Hiruma, True Friend: Ide Masafumi

DISADVANTAGES

Scarred, A Home in Ashes Lost Love

When you see the Dark One, tell him his mistake was touching this family. —Hiruma Katsuhito

SKILLS

Archery 2 Kenjutsu 2 Athletics 3 Lore: Maho-Tsukai 2 Battle 3 Lore: Shadowlands 3 Courtier 1 Meditation 1 Defense 3 Navigation 1 Engineering 1 Sincerity 1 Etiquette 1 Stealth 2 Hunting 2 Tetsubo 4 Investigation 1 Traps 2 Jiujitsu (Kobo-ichi-kai) 4

EQUIPMENT

Tetsubo, katana, wakizashi, yumi and 30 ya, heavy armor and helm, a kimono under there somewhere, traveling pack, black body paint, finger of jade, mortar and pestle, weapon oil and cleaning powder.

HISTORY

Your Family Well, now, there's a sore subject. You were bottom kid. Three older brothers and one sister, and they all used to pick on you. Not that you didn't fight back—but that's usually when they left. Maybe that's why you spent so much time with your father. He told you how the Shadowlands had taken the Hiruma holdings, destroyed the Hiruma Bushi School, and scattered your people to the winds. He told you your family had become scouts who knew the Shadowlands better than the fallen Moto, and could navigate a way through the whirlpool of the mouth of Hell. You realized early that this was nonsense. Hiding and scouting would not help regain your conquered lands. You decided to train with the Hida, and at your gempukku went into the Shadowlands to prove your worth on the corpse of a monster.

Lucky you, you ran into a pack of marsh trolls...and ran...and ran. You strung them out until there was just one to face, but he walked into the katana without feeling it and reached for you with a clawed hand. You clawed back, and you're not sure what happened next, but you were standing, your hands hurt, and it was dead. And you felt a presence—another young, reckless bushi who felt proud of you. Even if you did bend the katana a little. While you were in school, Hiruma Kage attempted his ill-fated retaking of Shiro Hiruma. When you saw the defeated men trudging back to the Wall, the simple solutions you had believed in disappeared. There would be no retaking of Hiruma Castle, not now. Your Companions

To your disappointment, Father's katana, Nisshoku, went to your brother. You had to make do with the bent one. And for that stupid reason, even after you killed a troll barehanded, you were sent to some pacifist Phoenix instead of serving on the Wall with real bushi.

But it didn't turn out too bad. Isawa Ryoji taught you more than you wanted about the Shadowlands, and after a while you even got used to the arrogant chatterbox.

And all the court-folk were so grateful when you took out minor oni. Especially Ide Masafumi. The poor guy's family was on the line after some Akodo diplomat got struck with a curse. (It was kinda funny, see, there was this Unicorn's horse and some livestock, and...never mind.)

Anyway, Ryoji found that it was actually one of Mas's ex-lovers, Shinjo O-Niro, who was working with the maho-tsukai to get back at him. (You don't know what she was so upset about. Masafumi said he'd write...) And the Lion committed seppuku once the "your dishonor, my dishonor" talk started so Masafumi was riding the guilt wagon hard. So Ryoji asked the Unicorn to show their gratitude by giving him someone to handle court folk, and Masafumi came onto the team. He was pretty broken up at first, but you reminded him it was because his girl was so clumsy with her trail that you tracked down a maho-tsukai who'd caused trouble all over Rokugan. He lightened up after that. Between you and Daidoji Kame, Ryoji's bodyguard, you managed to keep the ponies alive. Actually, you had more trouble with ronin and small-town magistrates than oni. It was a ronin who took your ear off. She was all, "nyah, nyah, I drew first blood," which was dumb, since evidently she thought you'd stop at first blood.

Going Home

You and Masafumi became friends and when you headed home for training, he came with you as an emissary to the Crab. He even married Kaiu Michiko, a friend of yours who was attractive, available, and could see through Masafumi's womanizing in an Otosan minute.

He was also the one who sat by your side as the messenger told you scouts had gone missing near Shiro Kuni, where your family were stationed. He kept you from charging after them when you heard your brother was one of them, and would not let you fall on your sword when you heard of the poisonings that preceded Moto Sada's attack. You received a list of thirty survivors. Your family was not among them.

You always wanted to carry Nisshoku. Now you do.

Your Assignment

You're stationed at the castle now, with a bunch of crass Wall Crabs, but you spend most of your time with Masafumi anyway. That got you appointed to court duty this winter, and Hida Yoshige took over your job at the Wall.

It's a little intimidating to be at the party where Hiruma Kage, the daimyo of the whole dang family, is getting married. Not that you're afraid, but the big silk guys of Rokugan live in a strange world, and it puts you on edge to be part of it. But the rest of your magistrate friends are coming, too, and it'll be good to see the old crowd again.

Lastly, if you can do it without goofing, it's hit you that you should be getting married. You're of an age, and...well, your parents would probably have started the arranging this winter were they alive.

WHAT YOU THINK OF THE OTHERS

Ide Masafumi: Your best friend. Since you met, he's grown from an irresponsible layabout to an earnest magistrate and husband. Without his council, you wouldn't have survived the news of your family's massacre. He keeps you on track when you get carried away, and you only hope you can do as much for him.

Daidoji Kame: She started out as an Iron Crane and ruined it by training with a bunch of pacifists. She says she wants to perfect the Technique of No Thought. Does this sound intelligent to you?

Bushi are bushi. If you wanted to quote Shintao, you'd find a monk. She's a crow trying to learn to swim. Okay, so she's a good crow, but the only reason you don't pick on her is because you don't believe teasing helps. And the only reason she wins while sparring is 'cause of that spear.

Isawa Ryoji: All the power of a Kuni without the dissections. Funny how someone from a traditionalist wussy clan can be just as lost at court as you. (I mean, you ain't too cultured, but even you knew who Otaku Kamoko was. Duh.) But he's right most of the time, he's got guts, and he knows about maho. You wouldn't be alive, or as successful, without him.

Kitsu Kikuzo: Watch out for the quiet guys. He's opened up as you've gotten to know him—he's got shame or somethin', like every Lion at the Wall. He's good to spar with. He doesn't let you get away with anything, and he's got great control.

Yogo Sumiko: When a Scorpion cares this much about you and your friends, something's gotta be wrong. Whatever her secrets are, she hides them, but you can't imagine much you'd condemn her for. I mean, she knows The Ward, so for all you care, she could smoke a warehouse of opium a day and she'd still be a goddess.

OTHERS YOU KNOW AT COURT

Ide (Kaiu) Michiko: Masafumi's wife. She's a teacher at the Kaiu school, but now she's retired to start their family.

Hiruma Ryoichi: The only other person from your town, Kowara, to survive. He runs messages for Hiruma Kage and his father. Yasuki Kurako: A friend of Masafumi's who handles public relations for the Crab. A bit high-strung.

Hida Sachiko: One samurai-ko who even the Wall doesn't scare. 'Course, neither does the thought of her own seppuku every time she insults another lord or gets caught with a cute heimin and a bottle of shochu.

YOUR DAISHO

Your katana Nisshoku ("Eclipse") has been in your family for twelve generations, since your ancestor Ushidoshi was elevated to samurai status during the Battle of the Landbridge. It's made with more hard steel than soft, and is difficult to sharpen. Only the Kaiu swordsmiths really get it right. Its companion wakizashi was lost long ago. The one you have is sharp enough to cut, and that's all you need.