🗻 || Kemono Shiro - Mahofu Clan Castle

[Kondo Kaicho]

Nestled into the lower altitude to the North East of Zaishin, bordering the Waterfall Country and a small portion of the sea shore is the Mahofu's Serfdom. This segment of the country is ripe with rocky terrain, frosted trees covered in snow caps. Just over fifty miles from Zaishin is the Kemono Shiro, Castle of the Beast which serves as the Mahofu Clan's ancestral home. The trail leading to this castle is devious as twisted paths tightly hug jagged terrain that would lead to certain death if one lost their footing. It should be known that all those who venture within a mile of this land suffer tier one poison and suffocation as the thick miasma tempts to claim their life. If one has breathing filters, or safer yet travels with a Mahofu Clansman they will reach the castle, built within the skeleton of a long forgotten and powerful Yokai. Nearing the front gate proves difficult still as the guards of the castle appear to be corpses of fallen warriors who once ventured to pillage this castle. There is a temple inside the castle dedicated to Tenryu Shinko and Wind Ninshu.  

[Kondo Kaicho]

'Clack, clack, clack.' heels clicked against the castle's shabby stone work that lines the innards of their carcass like castle. The red haired woman sighed, bored with her decision. " That girl..." she mumbled to herself. She couldn't help but wonder if that woman was rightfully ready to shoulder such responsibility as the leader of a people. She herself had taken on the mantle of a leader among men and had found the entire experience rather taxing. She clicked her teeth. " A test perhaps..." She said to herself.

While Sanae was not a native of the Land of Iron, she understood that places as this were both steeped in tradition and lore. Tradition, which had kept her tied to this place somewhat reluctantly. She held up her forearm, examining the seal that had appeared upon her after that Noble Kaiten had perished before her. He had told her that the mark had to be passed on to one worthy in his clan...and while to avoid breaking tradition he had given his control over miasma to her, she knew it could not remain her.

" Sumire! " She roared, her voice echoing through the nearly vacant bones of the castle. It was time to test the girl.  

[Jenni Deer]

✿ 𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔥𝔬𝔣𝔲 ✿
𝔘𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔓ri𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Quote:

Knelt before the flames, the warmth can be felt touching her face as her purple hues were glancing down on the book she was reading, her hand extended slightly to the left as it grasps the handle of her teacup. This was nice. She just got home from Konohagakure recently and helped the Hokage taking down the Yokai. That wasn't easy. The shinobi was such an odd culture. Even that girl... Mina was it? Sumire flinched softly as she remembered when the girl just randomly grabbed her hand. Was it the custom or the normal to be randomly touched without warning? With a soft sigh, she took a sip of the warm tea before placing it back down. Sumire was at the study room along with few others. There were few Mahofu that was on Sumire's side, other Mahofus on Sanae's and others that wanted the power for themselves.

Power-hungry they were. Sumire and the ones that would stand behind her weren't. They just wanted to take care of each other but the greed and envy for power became obvious fast when her father had died. As for Sumire? She wanted to take care of her clan. But she was young and still learning. Konohagakure taught her that she wasn't quite ready. Yes, Ranmaru praised her but it seemed she still had a long journey to go. Reaching over for her tea, the shout could be heard, echoing through the castle and startling the jet black-haired girl as she knocked over the cup. Her eyes went to the other Mahofu that was in the study as they looked at her with worry. The others? They looked at her as if they wished she was dead. One less obstacle to worry about. They couldn't upright attack her, Kaiten had trained her well and they knew it. She doesn't even sleep well anymore and hasn't for years for always being on guard.

Odd. Sumire closed the book and placed it on the floor by the pillow she was kneeling on. Quickly placed the rag on the spilled tea as she explained to the servant and thanked them for cleaning it up. Rose from her pillow and grabbing her katana that was resting in its sheath by her kneeling pillow. She wonders what was up. Sanae had been a bit kind to her in the beginning but she was ... becoming odd lately. Sumire didn't understand. As she made her way over to the source of the sound and tying her katana to her side, there were a few concerning glances and I hope you die glances. Sumire ignored the latter. Once she made it to the main hall, she saw the red-haired female and felt a twinge of anger. Her father, who hated females, made a female into a leader. It felt like he did it just to spit on her while laughing on the other side. And she wasn't a Mahofu. Another spit. The anger faded as fast as it arrived, due to Sanae being kind with her and helping teach Sumire even though sometimes she can be a bit of a troll with the teaching. With a half bow and her hands resting on her thigh before she straightens up, "You called for me, Sanae-sama?"

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Land of Iron [ Zaishin ] l Genjutsu Specialist l Buki l Mahofu Clan
Fuuton l Katon l 2425/2425 Chakra l 2325/2325 Stamina

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

' Sumire arrived nearly the moment Sanae had called. It was somewhat pleasing to see the girl so obedient, yet so unyielding in her own right. She would shake her head as Sumire bowed. " No. Don't feign niceties in your own home." she snapped. Her eye was rigid and fixed on the girl. Her arms folded beneath her giant personalities as her blade hung freely at the side. " There will be a time when you are in a court of men, being asked to bow your head and be polite. Today is not that day, please be casual. Sanae will do. Drop the Sama." She huffed sharply, shifting her gaze to the onlookers who were drooling for power. The group of them who eagerly lurked quickly exited the room. " Let's walk, Sumire." she commanded, turning and leading the girl out the door and through the halls, eventually reaching the outside of the castle grounds. Sanae walked for several more minutes before turning back to face Sumire. Her right eye set on the colossus skeleton that was the framework of the Mahofu home. " Now then. Away from all those bureaucratic idiots and dogs looking for scraps I'd like some honesty between us. " She sighed, being sure that there was not a soul around, lest they break some other time honored boring tradition. " This home. This title. This power. None of it is mine to take and there's nothing about it I really want. This constant irritant and never ending busy work is exactly why I never wanted to be the Hokage, even for a day. The only reason I'm even still entertaining this is because your father seemed like a prestigious warrior.... I intend to at least see his dying wish through. Besides your blood right, what makes you think this role is for you. Why should you command your clan's entire force? What gives you the right?"

Jenni Deer

 

[Jenni Deer]

✿ 𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔥𝔬𝔣𝔲 ✿
𝔘𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔓ri𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Quote:

Sumire heard the words but she didn't take them to heart. She was raised to respect. Even those that do not earn it. Sumire will do her best to meet Sanae's requests. It wasn't just to the court of men for her to be polite, it was to women as well. However, she was slightly surprised that today was not the day to be polite and she felt tense. What did she mean by that? Or perhaps, she was reading too much into it? The young girl decided that yes, she was thinking too much of it. With a nod of agreement, Sumire followed Sanae, wondering what was on her mind. As they headed out to the castle grounds, the thick smog doesn't bother either of them. The moment Sanae turned, Sumire can't help but have a half-smile on her face when Sanae seemed to be rather displeased about the politics of it all. That comes with the job sadly and Sumire understood all too well. Honesty?

Sumire wasn't sure if she could be honest but she would try. Sumire was shocked the moment she heard Sanae talk about his dying wish.

Her father had a wish before he died?

"What?" She started, "Did he wish me dead?" She asked sincerely. She shook her head, "It's not just... a blood right to us or some of us, at least,"She remembered that there was some that just wanted power, "It's the responsibility. To take in the core, traditions, and honor. We're family, bonded by blood or not but the fragility of the Mahofu wind. My nana used to explain it like leaves in the winds. Some of us would be dragged while others would soar high and above." She glared at the woman, her anger was coming out, "What gave you the right? You want honesty, fine. What gave my father the right, to everything he did to me, to offend my family, by giving a woman like you the power and you don't even want it. Top it off, Kaiten hated women. My mother as well. We are children-makers, not leaders, he made sure to remind all of us that were born females, constantly. My uncles or cousins, as long they were males or a right man was to be the next leader and Kaiten happen to spit on all of us by making you the leader of the Mahofu Clan, so I'm sorry, Sanae, that if my people are not making it easy. It's a hard adjustment. To have a woman be a leader was one thing and I'm sure we can learn to adjust. But an outsider...." Then she laughed. It wasn't a hearty laugh, it was a bitter kind. The kind of bitter that one would encounter thinking they are drinking fresh cold water but it was full of lemon in it too. "A hard adjustment," repeated Sumire, "We are a Clan of Wind and Wind means changes. Seems my people or myself cannot accept it."

Then she sighed, her shoulders relaxed slightly but she was still tense. There was never a moment that Sumire could be seen as fully relaxed. "No matter. What done is done. If you wish for me to help by carrying the burden of politics and never-ending work as you say it, I'll do what I can."

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Land of Iron [ Zaishin ] l Genjutsu Specialist l Buki l Mahofu Clan
Fuuton l Katon l 2425/2425 Chakra l 2325/2325 Stamina

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Kondo Kaicho]

The red haired woman's sharp gaze looked upon the young Mahofu. He nearly chuckled at her joke, even though it wasn't. He might have wanted her gone, perhaps not dead. Nobody could know now. The girl's reaction to her questioning was rather surprising, even to Sanae. However, she would show no sign of this impression. Her gaze remained as sharp and unforgiving as ever. A sigh escaped as she raised her finger and aimed it directly at the girl. " That. That mentality, little Sumire is what drags you while others soar." she retracted her finger to fold her hands under her breasts. A staunch curl in her lip as her glare intesnsified. " Traditions are imporant, sure. But are you really going to say that you'd be proud of a tradition that places such a dirt poor value upon you. Embrace the winds of change and soar." She began to pace back and forth, grinding her teeth as they seemed...larger, sharper than standard canine teeth, whisker like scars eating at her cheeks. She paused, looking back to Sumire finally. " Your father's desperate, dying wish was to find a worthy successor. Luckily for you I don't recall ever hearing anything about it being a male successor so why don't you...." she would trail off as her eyes shifted to the skies hidden by castle ceilings. She would sense the arrival of malicious forces. There was malice, hatred and vengeance permeating from the flying vessel that had just entered the land of iron, docking near the Tetsukabe.

Sanae's agape expression turned to Sumire. " Leave here and head immediately to the Tetsukabe. It seems an unwelcome visitor has breached the Land of Iron and they are intent on slaughter. This is to be the first of many tests, do not fail."
With that, Sanae turned, moving back towards the room full of lesser men to wade through them and head to a private chamber.

Jenni Deer

 

[Jenni Deer]

✿ 𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔥𝔬𝔣𝔲 ✿
𝔘𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔓ri𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Quote:

Sumire flinched softly as Sanae lectured her. She was right. "Yes. Of course. Forgive me. I let my emotions get the best of me." Raised to not show emotions and now he was gone, it was hard for Sumire to catch up on the feelings she had been getting left and right. Or much less, understand them. Proud of traditions...? This was hard. It was all Sumire had known. She needed to embrace the winds of change and try to soar as she sighed softly. Sumire looked at the red-haired female in shock when her father didn't specify what kind of successor and for a moment... can it be?

Can it really be?

She needed to learn so much more. She had to step up, somehow. The energy around them changed as Sumire felt tense and stiff. Being told to go to Tetsukabe and that they are intent on slaughter, she was worried. She nodded, "Hai, Sanae." Was all she said as she did some handseals as a Misama dragon appeared. With a roar in the skies, she mounted on it, and off they took.

She noticed emergency beacons were lit as they soared towards Tetsukabe.

[ Exit ]

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Land of Iron [ Zaishin ] l Genjutsu Specialist l Buki l Mahofu Clan
Fuuton l Katon l 2425/2425 Chakra l 2325/2325 Stamina

Kondo Kaicho

 

[Jenni Deer]

✿ 𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔥𝔬𝔣𝔲 ✿
𝔘𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔓ri𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Quote:

Rested at the garden that was hidden in the layers of the skeleton-looking castle, the inside wasn't so bad. There was a fireplace roaring almost everywhere to keep the place warm since it was rather drafty and cold in the mountains. With the help of techniques and persistence, they were able to grow a garden that took up the entire level. This had always been Sumire's favorite place. Her late father always despite the gardens so she would come here to escape and get a moment to breathe. Sumire had been a bit busy. For the past while, Sumire had been taking care of her Clan as well as taking care of any pro-Seizo that her informants inform her about. Speak of the devil, she saw one approach. "Mahofu-sama, we found another group." Sumire lets in a slow inhale and exhale. She slightly bows towards them as a thank you. "Where?" She asked as she got up from the bench and started to walk with the information to one of the rooms in this place. "In a cave, at one of the northern mountains. We'll give you a map, Mahofu-sama. It seems like they are trying to escape to areas where it's not hostile." Sumire nodded, it would make sense, they were trying to survive so getting to know an area that's not hostile for others, could make them dangerous for her especially how long they have been there and how well do they know the territory. "Mahofu-sama, at least let us come with you. I don't know why you insist on doing this alone."

Sumire paused in her walks as she wanted to pick her next words carefully. She knows she has loyal Mahofu members that she could depend on. Yet, she's worried that if she orders them to kill off the pro-Seizo members, over time, they would go to hate her or not. And she had a bigger worry than that. "One day, this will all come back with a harsh vengeance. This way, I would be targeted and none of you." Sumire carefully explains to make sure she gets her point across to what she means and that whoever hears of this, can relay it correctly, or so she hopes. The informant slightly bowed towards her at hearing her explanation as they entered into a room for Sumire to gear up and receive the map. After getting ready and information on their location and the possibility of who they are and what the weapons and dangers would be, Sumire nodded and headed off to go take care of them.

[ Exit ]

|✾| ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • ☠ • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ |✾|

Land of Iron [ Zaishin ] l Genjutsu Specialist l Scholar l Mahofu Clan
Fuuton l Katon l 2600/2600 Chakra l 2150/2150 Stamina

show spoilerhide spoiler

show spoilerhide spoiler