Shiro (Polesia)

The fourth son and youngest child of Hisoka and Miyuki Ichimitsu, Shiro surprised his family when he began manifesting psionic powers that had not been seen in his family for generations. Rather than being secluded or disowned as often happens with such children, Shiro's gift was nurtured and honed for the benefit of Clan Sasori. So far he has proven a capable spy and scout and has more than a few kills under his belt even though he is only nineteen.

Character Abilities

Shiro is what is known as a Himitsu (or Cryptic in Antanides). His gifts allow him to see and in many cases interact with the very fabric of existence, often granting him the ability to foresee events and manipulate energy, matter, and minds. His abilities are mainly covert, allowing him to change his appearance, distort his enemies perception of his location, and keep his mind clouded from those that might try to read it. However, he also has some frightening offensive powers, most notably his ability to "disrupt patterns," which deals damage to his enemies as he starts to pull apart their very forms. He can also alter his defensive and offensive powers making him harder to hit and allowing him to hit harder in melee combat.

While manifesting his powers the very air around Shiro seems to distort and ripple as though he were in the center of a translucent vortex. It's also not uncommon for his eyes to flash a brilliant light blue color, especially when he's angry, and often blue kanji symbols will appear around his head and on his arms and legs that often show through his clothing.

The Children of Ichimitsu

Clan Ichimitsu is a prominent family under the patronage of the Sasori daimyo, often referred to as others as his Black Left Hands, a moniker that they have actually taken to calling themselves with pride. While mostly shinobi/samurai, there are many in the Ichimitsu, as their family name suggests (Ichi=one; Mitsu=bright, reflective, expressive; meaning essentially one who delights in expressing themselves in bright or brilliant ways) they also tend to boast agents that are trained in other forms of combat that while able to blend well with the shinobi arts, are not those of traditional shinobi, making them often unexpected threats for those who might have experience or training dealing with common shinobi.

The current patron of Clan Ichimitsu is Hisoka Ichimitsu, who has earned his reputation as an aesthetic, as well as one of the deadliest shots with a longbow, able to take down targets at a distance unthinkable to most. With his wife Miyuki (a notable onna-bugeisha from another clan), he has fathered five children, though the first two boys did not survive past two weeks.

The first time it happened Hisoka was distraught, thinking that somehow he was unfit to father living children. He spent time fasting and meditating, trying to purify whatever taint existed in his heart, but when his second son died of the same causes, he started to become suspicious and called several of his most trusted retainers. To these men, some of whom he loved as brothers, and several that were actually his close kin he confided his thoughts, that someone was poisoning his children to prevent him from fathering an heir. To see if there was truth to this, Hisoka had his retainers shadow all those who had any contact with his sons, including Miyuki, whom he fully intended to kill if he found guilty. In time, it was found that a kitchen worker was being bribed by a rival clan to feed Miyuki a slow acting poison, that while virtually harmless to her, caused the babies to sicken as they fed from her breast. While this was a somewhat happy end to this horrific event, Miyuki had become aware of her husband’s suspicions, and mortified that he would ever assume her capable of murdering her own child, she closed herself to him and their relationship lacked any true affection thereafter, simply becoming a duty to both. Despite this, the supposed curse of Clan Ichimitsu was broken and Hisoka and Miyuki had two more sons and daughter in between. The death of two children and Miyuki’s emotional rejection frosted Hisoka’s heart more than any amount of battle or murder ever could. He gave his sons practical names (Saburo and Shiro, meaning third and fourth son) and didn’t even bother to name his daughter, whom Miyuki named Naomi.

Some time passed, and the three surviving Ichimitsu children grew and pursued their trades as their father saw fit. Saburo was mercilessly drilled in the use of the bow by his father and became an exemplary archer. While he never was able to match his father’s distance with the bow, he managed using Zen discipline as well as the concept of Mushin to fire his arrows flawlessly and with astonishing speed that easily eclipsed Hisoka. Naomi was taught the craft of the shinobi, and Miyuki taught her the courtesy and disciplines of the onna-bugeisha out of Hisoka’s sight, making her a wonderful infiltrator and as a side effect a wonderful actor who could change personalities and mannerisms as one changed their clothes, as well as being able to mask her intentions and thoughts, becoming a mystery even to all but her closest family.

Shiro, however, was very different. In every noble Okubo family there is, to some extent, the blood of the gods, granting powerful psionic gifts that can manifest in numerous ways. This trait is simultaneously revered for its power and reviled out of ignorance and fear. So it was, when Shiro first started showing signs of this birthright, his father was momentarily uncertain of the best course of action. For a time he even believed a ludicrous rumor that the child was not his at all, but rather that of Miyuki and a wayward kami that had come to her in secret. However the child showed features that could be none other than those of one of Hisoka’s close relatives. Begrudgingly, Hisoka accepted the little “henjin” (or oddity) as his own and presented him to his daimyo, offering to kill the boy if it was required. It should be noted that Shiro was four at this time and fully aware of what his father was suggesting.

The daimyo had other ideas, however. He ordered that the child’s psionic gifts be nurtured and that he be taught the craft of his people that he might serve the Sasori. In truth the daimyo, a surprisingly kind man despite his station, was appalled at Hisoka’s offer and had no intention of letting a small child, especially one that could potentially be such a powerful asset, be set aflame just to appease the man’s wounded pride.

Shiro grew up somewhat emotionally abused by his father and ignored by his siblings, but loved by his mother. His powers were assessed by some of the other psions in the clan and it became quickly apparent that his power lay in his ability to in some sense, witness and tamper with the psychic patterns that made up reality. He was trained to use his abilities to warp the senses of his enemies, augment his physical abilities, and perceive threats and secrets where no one else could. He was an effective tool, but his social growth was somewhat stunted by the trauma of his youth. In all ways he remains a calm and polite example of lordly courtesy—in public—when he actually gets to know someone personally however, his odd traits begin to manifest. He often comments on things that people don’t fully understand because he can see in dimensions that they can’t perceive. He’s also prone to talking to himself, especially while manifesting his powers, muttering about variances in patterns, unusual auras, coordinates, and strange monastic mantras or prayers. In no way is he bitter or unfriendly to the world, but he does not understand how to fully make himself understood or accepted by it either.