after Eden

chuda kage was born in the crab lands from a kuni and a hida family…

it was said that the crab are amongst the most persistent clans in the empire of rokugan… for no matter how dire the circumstance they still have the courage and will which makes them alive each and every day… for they are the first line of defense in the wall of the empire against the shadowlands… for it is their task… their duty…

on the day of his birth their homeland was ravage by the shadowlands horde a vile evil which wanted to take over all of the empire… but a great luck was on the child when he was spoted by an old hooded ratling passing by… both manage to escape the horror that plague on the hiruma lands…

the aged nezumi tried to return him in his place… but everything was lost when they arrived…

raised by the exiled ratling in the barren wastelands…

the child was given the name Kuroi which means black so that his homeland in the hiruma lands will never be forgotten… for it is a place where the light doesnt rise and forever in shade… for a child he was never given all the privileges a child would wanted in life and a he was always deprived of things… it is only proper for him and the old claiming rememberer for the place they where staying was not a place worth roaming around…

the only fun in his life was playing with the frogs in the swamps and collecting insects it was only lucky for him if the things he would find were not dead… he was used in a harsh environment… survival each and every day for the both of them… food was a ration and water was rare in the place… and the beasts and hideous creatures that lurks in the land was also a burden on their part…

there was a time that he would venture far enough until he came unto a place where the only grass would grow the flowers and trees it was the first time in his entire life that he had ever have seen something so beautiful. He then remembers her old mentors stories that there was a place in the shadowlands that It was said that it was the place where the first crab have died battling his corrupted son and it was a place so blessed that the taint was not able to consume the land… it was quite unusual for him and the place to have a grass and flowers for his mentor told him that the place was just a plain mountain.

Upon his knowing he was not alone in the fields he suddenly noticed as if somebody was crying on the tall grasses on the wide meadow plains of the huge mountain. There was a child almost the same age as him sitting of the grass with cloths of red and black… it was the first time in his life that he saw someone same as him a human… “Why are you crying? The curious boy asked… the little girl then turned to face him… sniffs her nose…” “Here this is for you” as the boy handed the flowers to her… “im kuroi! Ill be your friend” still the girl just watch him but already began to wipe her tears away and then with a small smile…. “I am Chuda Ka It Lin…”

The Chuda family is one of the most vile family in rokugan for they are one of the families in the empire which practices blood magic, they harness their powers from blood and one of the easiest way of a bloodspeaker to cast a maho is to slit a part of his flesh just above his wrist open and to do a chant to cast a blood magic as long as there is blood in the area he can almost do the most sinister of things.

It was then really strange for him to see a girl which has a red left eye… he have seen many oni eyes before but both were red some were not but in her case it was really fascinating for the first time that she was not an oni and she has a red eye on her left… “I ran away from home… my mother would always scold at me and hurt me for not perfecting the tasks and teachings she wanted me to do…” “She was not like that before she was sweet gentle until my father died he was caught and executed for practicing dark arts.” “Mother says it is now my task to become one day a great bloodspeaker to avenge my father…” “Well I must be going now Ka It Lin san! It is getting late… My mother is already waiting for me!” “Can I see you again?” Kuroi asked smilingly… “Everyday just in this same place I would meet you here!” “Yes! So you won’t be able to cry and be hurt or feel sad again and we would always play together here!” said kuroi! “I must also be going now kuroi san my moms also waiting for me…”

It was not usual for the mountain to accept tainted personalities but in the childs case she has pure of heart and her intentions have no malice at all then so the mountain willingly accepted her there. Upon arriving to there seclude warren kuroi instantly told the old rodent about his new friend! “you must not meet meet with this friend of you!” the slouching one said… but still each and every day he would sneak from there warren go there and play in the tall grasses and both of them would play in the fields of flowers chasing the winds, shout to the very top pf their lungs, climb trees jump and jump until they run out of air… there are times that Ka It Lin and Kuroi were not feeling and planning to go home as if both each shared a feeling of understanding to one another… sometimes there are times that they would last until the evening there. Everyday Kuroi would think of reasons and come up with stories just to go to the mountain and meet his friend may it be rainy day on the barren fields still he insist on his belief.

Each and every day a question came into his mind "is this all what is for me? Is there something else out there?" each and every day the child grew ambitious and became stubborn on the old ratling mentor… as a growing child he was very curious in everything around him… the day he saw a black scroll and an obsidian daisho… under a dead tree in the barren place where he never visited before changed his entire life… when he touched the black artifact it was as if he instantly sensed it that it was alive and all the hatred and anger in him almost came out without reason he then tried to cover it with clothing. He was already very eager to bring it to the mountains to let her fiend see it even though he caught fever by just touching the blades. But it was the very same day he never saw his friend again on the mountains… it was as if an eternity had just slipped away from him a part of him had been lost and the child lost his appetite that night and began to isolate himself in the dark area of the cave. Even the ratling doesn’t know what’s wrong with him it almost took a month or two for the nezumi to convince him to eat.

Days have pass and wars have been fought above on the deadlands they were squatting the child reach his age of gempuku and finally the old ratling found a way to return him again to his homelands.

The gempuku is a formal the test of a coming of age of a warrior it test his strength, his wisdom and his honor if he is ready to become a samurai.

There is a tradition in the crab clan that every winter whom ever could bring twenty heads of goblins and present it in the crab lands is proven worthy to stand by their side and will be welcomed as one with their family whether its a ronin or samurais from other clans they have then the option to swear fealty to the crab.

…winter has finally arrived

the ratling decided to accompany him to hunt down twenty goblins to test him if his really worth to return to his homeland. They then ventured far to a rocky places where they have heard the creatures breed. It was the first time in his life he ever used a katana which is very old and rusty in action and to kill something with his bear hands. The first goblin he took out was a weak and skinny one he really feels pity on the creature but in his mind sets that "if I don’t take this creatures life now I’ll end up the creatures feast later." He actually managed to bring down fourteen of does vicious things but hacking down fourteen things one at a time was the most easy part and most of them where unguarded and he was always in an ambush position. Though he managed to take out more than a dozen of goblins each one almost took his life and scarred him to different parts of his body from bites to claw marks long and deep.

The hooded rodent just sits atop the rocks looking at the boy’s incredible skills in hiding, running and weapon talents developed but could already smell the boys blood dripping more and more as he still persist to hunt down more. One of the creatures managed to spot him in his hiding rock and tried to call for the others he was then surrounded by ten of does creature his size the rodent did not hesitate and know it for sure that the child would not survive the carnage if he would not have come to aid him. Both of them tried to cut their way out of those swarming child size creatures and managed to take twenty heads. and tremendous managed to survive the swarming horde. The boy collected twenty of does heads he needed to be welcome in the crab lands himself.

The humanoid rodent was once a great shugenja during her time and one of the most well known rememberer’s of her tribe but banished from her clan for a crime which she really did not commit or so she does.

A rememberer is one of the ratlings greatest hope their duty was to teach the humanoid rodents of their past and if ever the rememberers were wiped out the nezumi will never remember their past and their dreams they will be savages unknowing of what they are uncivilized and barbaric. Their civilization was far more early when the first kami fell on rokugan and tried to develop culture in the empire.

Her life was one of the most tragic of all stories she lost the memory of her past on the day there was a grizzly murder on their tribe she could just recall the night that there was a great fire on their place screaming and blood was everywhere and everything just block out and turned dark when she woke up she couldn’t even know her name and what exactly just happened. And it was said that every pup in their tribe was seen brutally butchered by her and eaten alive she was then seen unconscious lying on the ground blood all over her body. She was then stereotyped as a monster of her tribe the butcher and a cannibal to be exact. Some actually believed her but some couldn’t be convinced by mere pity. As for her punishment she was cursed with a terrible spell by the elder ratling shugenja’s in their village horns came out from her head it was only due to her that she will be recognized as a shadowland creature which lurks in the shadows.

A verdict she accepted and will wander the world all alone as an outcast with no name and to forget all of her links with the nezumi’s. In search for atonement for the crimes she committed she decided to live all alone in the barren wasteland of the shadowlands for her punishments. The greatest torment for her life was never leaving the entire clan or living in the wastelands… “But to forget does who have once love her and also to forget the once which she really loved the most.” She then searches for answers and for the truth of what really happened on that night her entire life.

The humanoid rodent handed the sack full of goblin heads to the huge armored crab soldiers just outside the wall… The crab could not believe he could possibly survive the twenty goblin winter festival for someone his age how could he have possibly took out twenty goblins all by himself. He was instantly treated to the crab lands with respect along with the others who also survived and returned with twenty heads of goblins they were fed with banquet of food that for the first time in his life he ever tasted. He was then taken by someone who would finally raise him as their own on the crab lands… “me too old and too sick to take care of you…” as the boy tried to enter the great walls of the Kaiu he turn back and began to hug his ratling mother “you may never be my real mother… but you have given me the love a real mother could ever give to a child… no matter what they will say about us and they may laugh at us… I will always treasure the memories we shared and most especially the love you have given… I love you…” tears began to drop from the eyes of the aged and sickly nezumi… and the last gift given to him by the old ratling was her old rugged cloak… “Farewell… mother”

Seasons began too move… drops of cherry blossoms… snows began to melt the boy easily adapts well with his new parents.

He was then trained in the arts of military and was introduce to different kinds of weaponry in the crab lands. He was given the title the black goat by his comrades because of his foul odor and disgusting behavior of not taking a bath. He was not used of taking a bath during his early age he could only bath during rainy days and when there’s clean water in there place. During the day when they are tasked to hunt down oni’s beyond the wall he passed by their once called home and saw her beloved mother already passed out. He was completely devastated of what happened out of frustrations he ran away from the clan and did not finish his training. He only needed the skills he just learned and the basic instinct to survive the harsh environment. Upon his depressing moments he knelt on the warren where her mother had died crying tears dropping on the floor. He never returned then to the crab lands from that day forth then he decided to live all alone by himself.

He studied the scrolls the ratling has left in that cave the ways of the ratling magic to become a powerful shugenja like her mentor was. He remembers during childhood days her mentor would teach him how to harness power from oneself and how to manipulate and wield it on your own. Though his mentor has forgotten most of her past there are some few things which came back. But most of her past life till the day she died she was never ever to have recalled it all. He promised himself that he would master and prefect the ratling magic her teacher had left. During that time when he was practicing he was also secretly reading the dark maho scrolls which he found that day on the tree he kept it a secret for himself for he knew it for himself that if the ratling would knew it would not surely allow him to read it. It was in scripted in the huge scroll the use of dark arts and from ancient blood magic to summon of oni’s everything almost everything you needed to know about the dark arts was there magic even his mentor could not even do. Before the days of his return to the crab lands he already tried all the dark arts written in the scroll at a young age he was already a practicing bloodspeaker himself and a shugenja almost mastering the ways of blood maho and the ratling magic.

There was a night during his childhood days that her mentor woke up in the middle of the night of a great earthquake which shook the place and to find him nowhere just to find him far away from their place asleep on the ground having a fever. what really happened during that time was that the child tried to summon a powerful oni but it was so strong it tried to tricked him but the child manages to sealed the oni back again to the ground from where it came. On the day perfecting both blood magic and ratling magic he then decided to go to the obsidian city. His childhood friend once told him that there is a great black city in this very barren wasteland seek me out if you wish to see me but the perils and dangers is very risky. The residents there have an unusual behavior and their temper easily changes she said. When he was a child he never got the chance to go there for he knew from only the very long journey to venture there was already worth a life. He finally removes all obstacles in his path from huge swamp beast to flying ghoulish things everything from all sizes with the help of his magic and survival instinct with the blade. The black gates of the great city was very old as if it was created thousand years before he was born he was confronted by two black samurais and he was not permitted to go inside the two almost tried to kill him. So crowded with anger and hate when he grabs the black katana and wakizashi during his venture in the lands he still insist and force him self to go inside. He turned back obeyed the guards and tried to find a hiding place as far as he can in the rocky places just as far as the nearest rocks in the blasted place. With no other option he tried summoning an oni to destroy the gate and force himself in the black city.

There are does who choose their own paths in life even into darkness itself this black city is an epitome the life of samurai who have chosen their fate in service of the dark lord. He then formed figures in the ground chanted a bizarre rituals and just for a minute there was that earthquake that was felt during his child hood days. At last the huge black shadowly creature was again beginning to appear from the shadowly ground. It was said that oni’s were mischievous beings and they would even try to kill even those who unleash them to the mortal realms. On his black scroll it was stated that upon summoning an oni you must then give it your name and both of you then will share its power but for the price the oni will slowly consume you of your very essence. Kuroi was already prepared and is willing to risk everything this time if something worst could possibly happen.

During his childhood days when he tried to summon the creature. The ritual was not completed for at that time he was yet too young and inexperienced and much have yet to learn. If I would give my name to this creature it would certainly consume me in the end but if I would give myself another identity and offer it at least I have the chance to live longer before it totally consumes me and I could manipulate the beast at my very will. “I shall be kage” He slits a part of his wrist and offers the blood to the creature “my name is kage.. and shall give you my name oni.. arise kage no oni.. serve your master!” the creature was finally on his full body arising from the shadowy tars from which it came.. still licking and drinks on the blood on his wrist without warning the huge thing suddenly took a bite on his hand with its sharp like fangs holding both his hands on kage san’s left arm. kage was struggling of the tormenting pain the oni inflicted on his arms. The oni then teared his arm from his shoulder and as if the blood in his shoulder won’t stop bleeding he shouted at the top of voice of the agony of the pain he was then pushed to the ground by the oni haplessly. The four armed oni began to sit down in front of him just visible for him to see his left arm being eaten by it.

There was a time when his mentor was still among the living she found a scroll on the blasted landscape all about these ghoulish beasts and all sorts of hideous creations. And she would always tell stories and tales of these huge monstrous creatures to the boy. Once said by his mentor that oni’s with four arms are said to be jealous and greedy with arms of others they tend to crave for it.

He could almost hear the crackling of his bones and see the gushing of blood coming out from his torn arms. For his current situation he was in state of fear and suddenly just closed his eyes and said to himself “why? why have I done this?” the young man was already ready to die and he could already sense the doom which is coming for him while lying on the ground helplessly as blood was still flowing out of his arms. He noticed that the crackling and the chewing sounds began to stop he began to open his eyes and the oni was already in front of him. “What do you desire?” said the oni to the hapless man…

there was this enigmatic hooded man who would pass from village to village to asks for a descent job… they say his body was heavily mutilated with a dozen of scars… some say he was a bald lion soldier before who lost his honor in battle and became a wandering ronin.. some say he was a crane who lost his left arm during a duel and became so insane of the lost and started to wander.. some would say that he was a mantis who discovered a black artifact which he carries with him… it was also said that when he pass from places to places the animals in the place could not stop moving and begins to make noises as if they have seen a creature of some sort… some people would say that they have seen his shadow moved once… the only reliable thing we really knew about him is that he carried the title chuda for his long lost friend…