SEASON 1
Several generations before the main six villages were formed, there was another village. This village was known as Heiwagakure. This village had created their own utopia by utilizing their unique element known as, "Yoton" or "Light." None could match their military might or their ability to heal with medicines and Ijutsu. Small villages and clans from all around gathered and learned many things from Heiwagakure and eventually settled near the village itself.
The thing about life is that the brighter it shines, the stronger its shadow is. Heiwagakure prospered without fear of war or famine. They were proud of their power and honorary standing with the small villages around them. This pride made them blind to the darkness that was growing where their light could not reach: the hearts of the other villages. Eventually, the gratitude the small villages had for Heiwagakure became fear of their superior power and they joined forces to survive the harsh merchant rivalry that was bound to happen. Heiwagakure was such a safe place that all the merchants would go there for business and had nearly forgotten the other villages. Because of this, the small villages had to go to Heiwagakure just to get supplies they needed.
This continued for years until the small villages could no longer take it. The shadow of Heiwagakure had encased their hearts in fear and hatred for the "perfect" village. They cut off all contact with the village and began to attack their blind, prideful neighbors; a great war had begun and it raged on for 10 years. The hatred was so strong and the violence so cruel, that it ended abruptly with the Hikarikage deciding to extend his hand over the entire joint-enemy force.
The Hikarikage's role in Heiwagakure is to expel negative feelings such as fear, hatred and doubt. In the war, he believed he could expel the powerful emotions of the oppressed, small villages and make them friendly. Even though his logic was sound, the reality was that he was attempting to subjugate the small villages by raising their negative emotions. He had stretched his hand over the battlefield and cast a powerful jutsu with the help of his priests.
Indeed the darkness was pushed from their hearts, but there was nowhere for it to go once it was released. The darkness gathered on the battlefield and assumed the form of a demon, proceeding to slaughter everyone. Both sides of the war were bewildered and outmatched by the sudden appearance of a giant shadow demon. Heiwagakure's warriors retreated into their utopia while the demon demolished the small villages and slaughtered the people. Their pride was replaced with despair as the demon tore down their walls and slaughtered countless villagers.
Finally the Hikarikage could stand no more. He used his power to imprison the demon inside a holy tome, a book erected in their most holy temple. This action caused the Hikarikage to lose his life and many of the priests as they worked hard to extinguish the lingering shadows left behind. With their utopia crushed and all villages around them annihilated, they wished not for a repeat of this in their history.
They sealed the holy book away in their temple and used the power from the book to erect a powerful barrier over their village to hide them and stop anyone from finding them. They threw down their weapons and took up a peaceful lifestyle of monks to repent for their terrible sins.
IN THE PRESENT TIME
Generations have passed; the villagers of Heiwagakure eventually lost interest in the outside world, adopting peace as their way of life. However, within their walls, someone stole the tome that was holding up the barrier around their village. This forced the village from the ground that once covered the village due to the vast amount of time that had passed. The village emerged from the ground and the village had once again been shown to the world.
Who stole the old tome? Why? What is this ancient village? Hold onto your ninja tools because this is going to be one hell of a ride!
SEASON 2
The Serpent’s Trail in the Field of Sakura Petals
In the village of Heiwagakure, it is widely believed that when a child is born they are born under the mark of one of the beasts of creation. According to Heiwagakuren culture, there are 9 beasts of creation: the chameleon – which shifted the earth’s soil and gave root to the saplings; the crab – which brought forth all of the sea creatures; the scorpion – which created the critters and insects that dwell above and beneath the earth; the wolf – whose fiery blood gave mankind the ability to think, as well as feel emotions; the manta ray – whose gargantuan maw spewed the raging and tranquil seas upon the earth; the tiger – whose vicious howls brought sound; the phoenix – who, with the flapping of its thunderous wings, gave life to the birds of the sky and the winds that caress the earth; the serpent – who, with its calloused heart, brought night and the shadow of death; and finally, the griffin – who, with its radiant and golden heart, brought light and life to mankind. This mark, as custom dictates, represents the manifest of one’s being, as well as the sector that they will be placed in within the village. The priests of Heiwagakure say that to be born under the mark of the serpent is the most foreboding of omens; that the birth of a serpentine child heralds the end of peace and the destruction of mankind. Throughout all of Heiwagakuren history there had yet to be a child born under such a ghastly mark. That is, until the birth of one child; one peculiar child whose name was the same as the monster whose mark was branded onto his life – Naga.
Naga of the Serpentine.
In Heiwagakure, it was commonplace for children to be born under the same mark as their parents. It was a rare occurrence for this not to happen, but accommodations were often made for such situations. However, after Naga’s birthing ceremony, the priests demanded that the newborn be slain, in fear that his existence would bring about life’s ruin. In love with their child, Naga’s parents adamantly defended him. But ultimately, their efforts were in vain as the child was taken away by the priests. In a state of agonized grief, Naga’s mother ended her life. Her husband, and Naga’s father, pleaded with them to let him raise their son in secrecy; hidden away from the public eye. Reluctantly, the priests agreed. But under the condition that he never let Naga go further than 20 feet away from the house that they provided them. His father agreed, placing high rank seals around the parameter that would restrain Naga’s movements should he wander. Thus, began Naga’s life in reclusion.
As Naga grew older, so did his curiosity of the world beyond the thick billows of branches and leaves that obstructed his vision daily. Despite the constant and rigorous training he received from his father, he still had a thirst for knowledge that he knew could only be satiated by the expansion of the small world that he had grown accustomed to. His father, who was a stern but loving man, denied Naga’s requests to see the outside world on numerous occasions; telling him that the world was a “horrid and unforgiving place”. Naga obeyed his father’s wishes, but his heart still ached for what he could not see.
Naga’s father had grown tired of the restrictions he was forced to place on his son. He could no longer stand the sight of his son in heartache. He knew well of the consequences for disobeying the priests orders, but for his son he was willing to take the full brunt of what awaited him on the other end of his decision. On the morning of his 21st birthday, Naga’s father woke him up with a surprise – he was going to show him the world outside of their home. Naturally, Naga was elated and rushed outside as soon as he was told. His father joined him, but before he removed the seals, he simply told him this:
Change this world, Naga. Show everyone who you really are. I love you. As soon as the seals dissipated, ANBU from Heiwagakure swiftly attacked them from the trees. They fought well, but were ultimately defeated; Naga’s father being slain in the process.
Naga was imprisoned in a ceremonial chamber hidden beneath the center of the village. Naga mourned the death of his father within the confines of a darkened cell. Naga grew to despise Heiwagakure, and it only grew worse as his time in the chamber progressed. However, there was something insidious about his hatred; something that gave it tangibility – a voice; a constant, malicious whisper. The voice beckoned to him in a jesting tone: “I. Am. Free.” Those three words had become a reverberating echo in his cell; a jealous condescendence that haunted his heart. He could always hear the lash of its whisper, but could never say it for himself. But soon, that would all change
I. Am. Free.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, Naga broke free of his cell; effortlessly killing anyone that came before him. The only direction he had was the voice in his mind; and as he grew closer to where it guided him, the louder and more vicious it got. When he finally reached the destination, he came upon a tattered tome with an archaic symbol of a serpent. Without hesitating, Naga grabbed hold of it. He somehow knew, in the darkest recluses of his mind, that this belonged to him. The preists of Heiwagakure, as well as the ANBU stationed in the village, quickly arrived to neutralize Naga, but to their horror, he was nowhere to be found. The only evidence of his presence was the bloodied words scrawled upon the wall:
I. AM. FREE.
A Horrid and Unforgiving Place
After years of recruitment and assessment, Naga had finally gathered all of the pawns necessary to resurrect the final piece – Dominick Edrick. History tells of a shinobi that stood above all in terms of raw power and ferocity; the one that toppled over villages and was on the verge of establishing an empire in his name. Naga was certain that Dominick Edrick’s spirit was sealed within the tomb, and upon finding his corpse, he was going to resurrect and manipulate him to do his bidding. The world would finally know who and what Naga of the Serpentine was – an embodiment of their freedom.
Naga had decided to call the shinobi he assembled for this plan “The Ouraborous”, and with him at the apex, nothing would stop them. That is, until they ran into a group of shinobi simply referred to as “The Machine”. The Machine consisted of three shinobi that hailed from the village of Hyougagakure: Isais Neomae, Tencho Nariwagame, and Xavier C. Deventris. Naga’s first and only encounter with The Machine was brief, but memorable, for their power was remarkable. But as strong as they were, the resurrection could not be stopped. Naga had dreamed and fought for the day this would transpire, however, what arose from the tome was not the spirit of Dominick Edrick, but a malevolent force that exceeded his wildest imaginations – the Eighth Beast of Creation: Hachibi no Naga.
The Hachibi no Naga appeared differently than what the legends foretold. He had battered wings, and the beak of a griffin. Every shinobi, enemy and ally alike, could only stand in frailty before its presence. The monster swiftly tore through the shinobi, despite their valiant efforts at stopping it. The beast stood before them and left them with these words.
If you could only see how you all look; aspiring to transform the world to your liking, but only being able to manage this much. You shout and sing songs of victory, and yet you only seem to be clamoring and dancing in your futility. If you truly wish to change this world, then break away from it. Join me! I will await those of you who truly seek change at the peak of transcendence. Will you adhere to the chains that bind you, or will you free yourselves from them? Know that as you sit and ask yourselves this question – I. AM. FREE.Naga, who was fatally wounded, watched the beast depart from them. And as he drew his final breaths, he pondered over its last three words and said softly to himself:
The world is truly…a horrid and unforgiving place. An ancient force has presented itself. Not just in the form of unmitigated power, but also in the form of a gnawing question: will you transcend who you are and leave behind a Legacy for this world, or will you ascend alone?
The choice is yours.
RULES
- Before you can begin your journey to this ancient village, you must first RP in your own village! A messenger from the village has arrived in each village, so you must first run into that messenger first, before you can begin the journey!
- Second rule of Fight Cl- I mean...second rule for the plot is that killing of members is disallowed unless it is for plot purposes and it has been discussed between each member in question. Confrontation (fighting, arguing, rape, fondling, etc.) is acceptable, of course. Just make sure it isn't too graphic!
And that's all there is to it! Everything else has been stipulated in other posts in this topic. Have fun!
Regards,
Staff of Legacy
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