Senpū Dojo [T|C|Invite]

[Flower]

SPOILER: Click to show

Hidden Meaning
Rank: "D"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can impart a hidden message in their craft for a target to read.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Equipment Type: Any. The Artisan can imbue any item of their craft that they create with Hidden Meaning such that only the intended audience. The message can be a number of words long equal to 5 per Artisan's Class Level. User can add multiple hidden meanings, each time adding to the Crafting Time. Example: Sharra is a Seamstress, and wishes to pass on a secret message that only the Duchess will understand. She adds the extra crafting time, and can impart a 5 word message that only the Duchess can read. She decides on "Your Advisor wants you dead." +1,500 Ryo to Crafting Time.
Limit: Must be an Artisan.

1. [0/10]

[Kikkai Enter & Training.]

Valerys had shown her on a map the location of her most secret dojo, the Senpu Dojo, and explained to her that there was a man who could train her in the art of the Artisan at this place. His name was Kimyona. Kikkai made her way through the desert alone, since Valerys had other business to attend to, and found her way to the dojo after searching for half a day. She had to ask around a little, but after a while found Kimyona's Tower and went in to see if she could speak to him. Unlike some of the other masters, Kimyona didn't as many students around his tower and Kikkai was able to find him rather quickly. "Are you Master Kimyona?" she asked and looked at the man with long black hair, who was supposedly a very powerful crafter and alchemist. He said that he was and asked Kikkai why she was here. She expressed her desire to start learning deeper into the art of the artisan -- although she could craft weapons she needed to know how to add special abilities to them like she saw masters do. Kimyona said that he could teach her the tricks.

He took her into a special crafting area, which was decorated with all sorts of tools and materials, and showed her a dagger that he had hanging on the wall. "Pick it up," he instructed and Kikkai moved toward the wall. He drew the dagger down and held it in her palm. "Can you feel its power?" Kikkai tried to run her chakra throughout the item, thinking that perhaps it had been crafted with such a design. Her chakra seemed to flow through its material and move further inside the dagger, until she was standing on the cusp of some answer. Her mind went deeper over the edge of some mental precipice and started to look for the answers. Kimyona watched as her mind went further into the blade and eventually Kikkai let out a sigh of relief. "What did you learn?" Kimyona asked as she returned to her body.

Kikkai seemed to be looking off into the distance as she said, "There was some message hidden within the dagger. My mind seemed to close in on it, and then the dagger said to me, 'This is the Hidden Meaning Technique.'" Kimyona nodded and explained that this was indeed the technique that she needed to learn to craft, and that by investigating it with her mind she was already that much closer. Kimyona told Kikkai to hold the dagger and try to imbue her chakra within, changing the meaning of the hidden message. Kikkai did as she was told and held the dagger while letting her chakra run throughout -- as she did Kikkai thought of some secret message that traveled within its metal. When she was done she passed it back to Kimyona, ready for him to inspect her work. He held the dagger, closed his eyes, and seemed to be thinking deeply on some subject before hearing the message she wrote within.

[Christoff]

+10 TP

[Flower]

SPOILER: Click to show

Illuminating
Rank: "D"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can apply an illuminating effect to a weapon. Whenever it is drawn, it illuminates in a short distance.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Equipment Type: Weapon. A sunburst set with flecks gleams upon this weapon. When drawn, an illuminating weapon glows with pure white light, brightly illuminating a 6-meter-radius area and providing shadowy illumination for another 6 meters beyond that. +5,000 Ryo to Crafting Time.
Limit: Must be an Artisan.

[Kikkai Training.]

1. [0/10]
+2 tp for D-class

As Kimyona discovered Kikkai's hidden message: "I've mastered it," the two of them were able to move on with their training. Using the same dagger, Kimyona brought Kikkai over to a smithing anchor which was close to a bed of coals burning from a fire that the teacher had constructed in the hearth. Kikkai had seen similar crafting labs when she was learning to weaponsmith, happy to be in one again -- her face illuminated by the dim glow of the fire. Kimyona told Kikkai to put the metal into the fire and begin to hammer it out. Since she had experience forging knives, she did as she was told and focused on sharpening every side of the metal blade. Kimyona watched her work and said, "Now I"ll teach you to add another aspect to this piece of weaponry. Focus on your chakra and pour it into the hammer, let each strike push your power further into the weapon. Then think of fire and light in order to create an Illuminating item." Kikkai listened as her hand struck once, twice, three more times. Then she heard Kimyona's words and started to learn the Illuminating equipment enhancement technique.

Thoughts of the sun immediately entered Kikkai's mind, and the image of the burning ball of fire consumed her consciousness. The kennel helped ease her mind and soon all she could feel was its warmth. It rushed up her arm in waves from each twist of the fire, until her chakra had taken on the properties of the flames as well. Soon it seemed as if the hammer were glowing in her hands and Kikkai continued to pound away at the dagger on the anvil. The metal flattened as she hit at it repeatedly, and then it too began to glow in the fire. However, it was more so than Kikkai had ever seen a weapon glow before. This dagger was burning so bright that it almost appeared to be turning white.

The dagger began to glow so white that Kikkai almost couldn't see and let her hand fall in the rhythm of the hammer which she had learned. The knife grew brighter with each second and blast of additional chakra, until Kimyona also could not see from behind the forge. "You're doing it!" he cheered on as Kikkai continued with her work and after a sudden flash she stopped. She pulled her hand away and noted that the fire was starting to go back down, to a bed of burnt coals. Kikkai looked on the knife in the center and reached for it, feeling the rush of energy from its hilt. As she raised the blade, the dagger shone brightly in the dimly lit room in a full, white light. Kikkai looked upon it with wonder and Kimyona explained that she was quite the fast learner and crafts-woman. She saw the room filled with the light of the blade and had to, at least partially, agree.

[Cadoc]

+10

[Flower]

Weight of the Earth
Rank: "D"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: User strengthens their weapon with the power of earth to ignore hardness.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Range of this technique is personal. Target of this technique is 1 weapon. Duration of this technique is 5 rounds per Class Level. This technique requires a small source of earth nearby. User hardens their weapon with the power of Earth. User sinks their weapon into the ground allowing the earth to fuse with the weapon. When the user brings up the weapon, the weapon has an earthy look to it. The weapon ignores 2 Hardness per Class Level when used.
Limit: Must know Earth Release.

[Kikkai Training.]

1. [0/10]
+2 tp for D-class

"Would you mind if I burrowed this dagger?" Kikkai asked and Kimyona allowed it, but told her that she had to bring it back soon or she would pay. Kikkai agreed and left his tower, taking the dagger with her into the desert right outside of the dojo. Recently she had learned the earth release, and had became slightly attuned to sending her chakra throughout the earth. She wondered what would happen if she applied this same power to a blade. Kikka quickly drove it into the sand beneath her feet and watched as the metal sunk into the ground. The sand seemed to eat at it eagerly, due to its thinness and heat from just having been re-forged, and it was soon buried up to the hilt. Kikkai began to run her chakra throughout the ground that surrounded her feet and soon the small pebbles in the sand were beginning to shift toward the knife.

They hurried up through the sand and toward the knife, attracted to Kikkai's surge of chakra that she running through the blade. As a crafter and master of weapons she was familiar with the metal, but she was not as familiar with the earth release. At first it was difficult to attract the stones with her powers. She had often considered chakra and ninjutsu arts overrated, but now that she was beginning to take on obstacles with Valerys she knew that she had to be more open minded. So Kikkai had studied a technique that allowed her to enhance the power of her weapons -- a fitting ninjutsu technique. But as she pulled the knife from the ground, Kikkai would find that it was only partially covered with the tiny pebbles. She wondered how strong the weapon could get with her own powers and went to test out the blade.

She ran past a cactus and held out the knife, the earth-enhanced tip passing by her side as she held it out. The rocks and like did add to the damage of the knife and in a mmoent, as Kikkai ran past, it seemed as if the cactus suddenly lost of its limbs off of its side. When it was done, Kikkai knew that she was beginning to see results and immediately thrust the blade of the dagger back into the sand. Like before it plunged into the earth, but unlike before it was filled with more of Kikkai's chakra and seemed to burn below the ground with her energy. This time it felt like even larger stones were moving up through the desert sands so she remained, her knife in the ground, for some time before feeling the effects of nature on the sharpened blade. In a single movement Kikkai drew it the dagger from the ground once more and found each edge covered in a the thin film of earth and rock.

[Christoff]

+10 TP

[Flower]

The Stance
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: Stance is a crucial part of using any weapon. This is the basic stance technique.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Begin with the feet in a 90° comfortably separated at about half a shoulder's width apart. Center the weight on the rear leg. When throwing the user shifts their weight to the front. This causes the hips and shoulders to twist into the throw forcing the body's power into the throwing arm. After the throw is complete recover by returning to the original stance to ready the next throw.
Limit: Must be a Throwing Specialist.

1. [0/5]

[Kikkai Training.]
(OOC: Thanks Christoff!)

Kikkai was about to head back in the direction of Kimyona, and his tower, when she noted that the dagger felt good in her hand and debated using it out for just a second before she took it back. The chakra kept the earth close to the blade and made it more powerful as Kikkai stepped up to a lone tree off in the seclusion of the desert land and sky. She felt as if she needed to learn to throw the knife, so stood with her legs slightly apart and faced the wide tree with the knife down by her side and in her hand. Kikkai tried her best to keep her legs 90 degrees and square up her shoulders with her feet, making a balanced stance so that she could throw from a variety of angles. She twisted back and forth on her hips, testing out the new stance and preparing herself to throw the knife in a second when she felt sturdy enough in her position. Kikkai raised her arms back and forth, feeling how light or heavy they were in comparison to the weaponry that she planned to throw at the lone tree.

[Christoff]

+5 TP

[Flower]

The Grips
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: The user learns how to grip their weapons through two types of Grips, the Handle Grip, and the Blade Grip.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Handle Grip: While throwing a weapon from the handle keep it centered if center of balance is possible. If not then hold it at the end of the handle. Balance is key. The thumb should be resting against the inside of the handle while the remaining fingers curl around it. When you throw the item travels vertically leading to the best speed and hitting power for long distances. When throwing by the blade, grip the item at the end of the blade with the thumb parallel with the blade. The rest of the fingers curl against the opposite side.
Limit: Must be a Throwing Specialist.

1. [0/5]

[Kikkai Training.]

As she mastered the first basic stance of the Throwing Arts, Kikkai prepared herself to move on to the next one -- the blade in her hand still covered in the rocks that she had drawn from the earth. At first she practiced holding the dagger along the handle as if she were going to throw it, pushing energy into her hand and holding it steady as the knife stuck out from her arm. She tried to balance the weapon between her palm and with her thumb which rested against the side of the handle with grace. Kikkai suddenly threw the dagger across the air toward the tree and there was a dull crack as the metal forced itself into the wood. A small chip appeared as the knife went into the tree, and Kikkai retrieved it so that she could try out the hand positions once more. This time Kikkai held the end of the blade between her thumb and forefinger, which her thumb running parellel to the metal. She balanced it, cautiously, between her two fingers and prepared to throw it end-over-end toward the tree once more. Her wrist poised in the air and prepared for the attempt.

[Christoff]

+5 TP

[Flower]

Eternal Hover
Rank: "D"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: Technique reduces the mount's wing loading ratio allowing them to hover with no restrictions or moving forward.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Rider is able to guide the mount to perform what is known as an eternal hover. A move that allows the Rider and the mount to hover without being restricted and stay up afloat without side effects of being knocked down to the balance needed to stay on the Mount as it hovers.
Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Riding, Airborne (Mount).

1. [0/10]

[Valerys Training.]

As she was laying down outside the Senpu Dojo, Valerys was letting her mind wander and found memories of her various partners and companions. She awaited Kikkai, who was supposed to meet her at the dojo, but in the meantime she thought of Akumu -- her quetzalcoatl. They had been learning how to fly with one another, and Valerys remembered one day in particular when the two of them were flying over the desert (Akumu with his wings and Valerys with her soul). She had decided that she wanted to ride upon Akumu's back, so she rode up and lighted on him. She rubbed at his scaley back and told him to try to fly still in the air. Akumu understood and banked back with his wings, coming to a point slightly above the ground. He tried to move slower and slower as he approached not moving at all. His wings had to hold his massive weight balanced in the sky -- it was a difficult task.

Valerys helped as much as she could, giving him encouragement and trying to run her own awareness into her companion's mind. She had done it before so that they could forge an empathetic link and she had found that they were closer than ever. She seemed to beat her wings as well as Akumu slowed down and tried to hang in the air. As he stopped, Akumu started to fall -- the beat of his wings not enough to sustain the massive creature in the air. He beat harder pushing more energy throughout his body, and suddenly Akumu seemed to be floating. The beat of his wings held them just above the ground and Valerys smiled. "That's good!" But then Akumu bucked and let his wings waver, falling to the ground a moment later as his massive, serpent tail crashed to the earth. "We'll need to try again," Valerys said simply, knowing how tough training could be at times.

Akumu began to flap his wings and took off again into the sky. His lumbering tail gave a massive jolt as they took off and he adjusted his flight, turning back around to come over the earth so that if he fell it would not be too far. Valerys directed him with her hold on his feathers, and motioned for him to start slowing down. Akumu came to a slow as Valerys tugged at him and threw open his massive wings. They held the air and stood for a moment, beating heavy over and over. Valerys watched proudly as they hovered above the ground and motioned for Akumu to make another circle into the sky and come back around. He did so elegantly, flapping his wings with a sudden burst and shooting high before coming back down. As Valerys rode on his back and the two of them completed their first hover, she felt confident that this was the start of some new endeavor.

[Christoff]

+10 TP

[Flower]

Singing
Rank: "E" (5 TP at all times)
Skill: Skill
Effect: A skill that turns a character into an accomplished singer.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The Character with this skill is an accomplished singer and can use this ability to entertain others and perhaps earn a small living. No skill check is required to sing in most circumstances. The character can also create choral works on a successful skill check. Use Musical Instrument Task Skills to see what a user can do and the difficulty checks as Musical Instrument Task Skills are similar to Singing. Look in Task Skills thread found in the Skills and Traits Index for more information. Each time learned user gets 5 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---

[Kikkai Flashback Training.]

1. [0/40]
[1/8 posts]

Kikkai sat in the sand, alone, outside of Senpu Dojo and started to hum a tune under her breath. Her back and head felt hot out here in the sun, but also reminded her of her days spent moving across the sandy plains. As she had moved along she had met various peoples and cultures, always wondering about Valerys along the way, and started to pick up talents from their various styles of music. At first, when she was a young girl, her parents had forced her to sing the choir at court – when she had been a noble. She had been good but hated this style of singing, and so when she left she learned new ways to sing from various artists. First she met an elderly woman living in the country of the Land of Wind, in a small cabin where she kept Kikkai for the night while she traveled. The woman taught her how to sing in a way that was more solemn and connected to the earth, rather than the hymns that she had been instructed to learn before.

[Flower]

[2/8 posts]

The woman kept Kikkai there for a week and taught her how to master this new style of music. Often she would have Kikkai sit out alone in the desert, as she was doing now at the Senpu Dojo, and connect with all of the creatures (plants and animals) that surrounded her. She was able to hear the prickly, static-like sound of the cactus and the shuffling of a gopher. All of these organisms brought her great pleasure, and she started to realize that sound and music were a universal principle. This was the key to unlocking the power that was inherent in her voice, and the elderly woman had known this. Kikkai began trying to sing like the cactus and the gopher, and saw other beings that roused a deep inspiration in her as well. Sometimes she would stand near the river and look upon the fish, hearing their murky, underwater tune, and would sing it back into the world of dry land – sounding as if bubbles were coming out of her mouth.

[Flower]

[3/8 posts]

After she had learned many of the sounds of nature, the woman showed Kikkai some of the songs that she knew, with all sorts of odd and fancy titles like “The Twin Toads” and so on. Kikkai learned three songs while she stayed with the woman, and then had to move on as she was afraid the guards over the Wind Country would find her and bring her back to her parents mansion. She took off into the wild and from that day on began to hear all the sounds that the plants and animals had to teach her – learning more and more songs along the way. She traveled alone for some time with only these creatures to guide her. She took off for the river and rode along in a stolen canoe. Kikkai would sing songs in order to keep herself company and lived on the water for a bit of time. One day she came across a passing in the river that was filled with crocodiles, and as she passed one of them seemed to speak to her. Kikkai was not sure if it was the heat or if it was real, but a large crocodile lifted its head up on the side of her canoe and began to tell her about a special song.

[Flower]

[4/8 posts]

The crocodile claimed to be able to teach Kikkai a special song, one that only the reptiles of that river knew – way out here and forgotten in the desert. However, in order to sing it Kikkai would have to learn to sing like a crocodile. The reptilian turned out to be an adept teacher and for the rest of the day Kikkai learned from her, making all forms of grunts and hisses as a crocodile would. More than once she speculated at how odd the situation was, but she wasn’t one to question the ridiculous and chaotic so went along with the universe. The crocodile then taught her the song known as “Ephara’s Tear,” which made her cry the first time she heard it from the beast. Kikkai began learning to sing it herself and by sundown had mastered the song – as the canoe set off and bobbed down the river once again. The song of that crocodile keeping Kikkai company as the isolation started to set in days after.

[Flower]

[5/8 posts]

Many days Kikkai drifted alone on her stolen canoe and whistled songs to herself in order to stave out madness that she might have caught from being so isolated. Eventually the songs were not even enough for her and she had to take off from the river – abandoning the canoe for someone to find on the shore. As she moved inland, Kikkai realized that she was further into the Land of Wind now. She came into a city that was close to the capital and met several famous singers and songwriters for the local theaters and entertainment venues. After tricking some of them with her charm and wit, Kikkai got a few of the teachers to agree to training her in her vocal and singing capabilities. For several weeks she stayed close to Hitofuki and learned in the morning and evening from several music instructors. Their lessons were often harsh and unsatisfied with her performance, forcing Kikkai to get better each practice. Eventually all of her grunts and hisses that she had learned from the crocodile were being merged with the harmonious sounds of an instructed vocalist.

[Flower]

[6/8 posts]

Although she was learning a lot from the masters in the capital, word came to Kikkai that there was a religious community south-east, on the coast of the Land of Wind, that hosted some of the most amazing hymnals and devotional music. Although not too keen on religion, Kikkai headed in that direction to see this beautiful singing that she heard so much about. The city was Sukuinushi and it hosted many non-ninja, so Kikkai had no trouble getting in. Many of the teachers were happy to help students, so long as they worshipped with them at the local churches and shrines. Kikkai did so with the rest of them and learned about the Flower on Earth that headed the state. Many songs had been written for the various village leaders, and Kikkai listened to them with grace. The singers were so eloquent and focused, it inspired Kikkai to do the same in her own singing. She eventually joined with some of the choirs, simply to learn greater techniques for her own singing abilities. And then left Sukuinushi like all of the others places she had been.

[Flower]

[7/8 posts]

For a while Kikkai learned with the members of Sukuinushi, but when they’re devotion became too much for her she started plotting a way to steal one of their books of songs and leave the village. For several days she kept an eye on a locked up book of hymns in one of the temples, and studied the locks as much as she could. When it was time, she picked the lock and stole the book – fleeing Sukuinushi and moving back into the desert. Kikkai found an oasis and spent many days reading and memorizing all of the songs. Although not her usual style, Kikkai remembered the beautiful voices of the people in Sukuinushi and tried to train her own voice to sound just as good through their songs. It worked and for a long while Kikkai spent time by herself, with her hobby, and fine-tuned her singing abilities until they sounded better than most other people she knew. She’d spend many hours in the middle of the desert singing her song, and one day interested a man and his pose who’d been traveling on the road. “What a beautiful voice,” he commented.

[Flower]

[8/8 posts]

Before getting too involved with criminal organizations in the Land of Wind, Kikkai spent many days alone at the oasis and practiced her singing. It was one of the few talents that she enjoyed back then, not having the capabilities that she had now for chaos and disorder. Although it often embarrassed her if people heard her voice, Kikkai enjoyed singing by herself and these days reminded her of the ones she spent on the canoe. She found herself memorizing and singing all the songs that she had learned over the months – the song of the crocodile, the song of the gophers and cactus, and all the hymns she stole from Sukuinushi. Soon each of them were deeply ingrained in her mind and habits, until she could sing them in her sleep. The sound of music kept her company through the long days and nights in that oasis, before she decided to move on. After that she kept her singing abilities hidden, unaware as to how powerful her songs could become when properly trained…

Now back at Senpu Dojo, daydreaming in the sand outside of the complex, Kikkai whistled a little tune to herself. One that she had written herself.